Interference
by vamplicious
Summary: Edward is on his way to Colorado on a business trip. When he gets into a sticky situation in the departure lounge, he's rescued by Bella.The two are immediately attracted to each other. But things get complicated once they arrive at the destination.
1. Chapter 1

"Flight 6340 to Miami with a planned departure at 4:30 is now ready for boarding at gate 45. Please have your boarding pass and your ID ready. And once again we apologize for the delay."

The voice from the loudspeaker resonated throughout the terminals at the Chicago O'Hare Airport. People started lining up at gate no. 45, all eager to board the plane. The departure was scheduled for three hours ago, so it wasn't strange that a certain impatience could be noticed in the passengers.

Edward had finally gotten hold of a seat in the waiting area. _His_ plane for Denver should have left two hours ago, but there was still no sign that it would leave any time soon.

He could see the Boeing 737 just outside through the enormous windows. It was dark, but the planes were lit up by giant spotlights. It was still snowing heavily, and the road sweepers were driving non-stop back and forth on the runways, trying to keep them clear. It seemed to be an impossible task at the moment. The snow still poured down, and it looked like the cement became covered with a fresh layer of snow just minutes after it had been cleared. Planes were lining up, all waiting for a free runway for take-off. But because of the snow, they only managed about eight departures each hour, which was just about a tenth of the usual rate.

Edward once again glanced up at the board above the gate. _Denver, Flight #593, Departure Delayed_ was still flashing annoyingly down at him, almost as if the sign was mocking him personally. There was not even an 'Estimated New Departure Time' yet.

Relieved that he at least finally had located a seat in the waiting area, he picked up his laptop, eager to get some work done. A few curses crossed his mind as he realized that the batteries had gone flat during his long search for a seat. Frustrated, he slipped the laptop down into the bag again. Instead of working, he leaned back and sighed deeply. People around him seemed to have settled in, somehow accepting that they might be here for a long time. He wished he knew how to do that. He tapped his fingers on his suit clad legs and forced himself to calm down. There was nothing he could do about the snow, although he wished he could have performed some magic.

An hour later he had gone through all the articles of today's edition of the Chicago Tribune twice, checked his mail about twenty times, surfed the news on his PDA, and consumed two grande-size Starbucks coffees. Edward was getting restless.

Usually his days would be tightly scheduled, full of meetings and appointments with clients or co-workers, and Mrs. Clark, his highly treasured secretary, would always see to that he never wasted a minute. Edward was a highly efficient man--he liked it that way.

But when he had left the office this afternoon, Mrs. Clark had informed him of the bad weather forecast, with warnings about a snow-storm approaching Chicago. Usually Edward would consider himself quite a stable and well-balanced person, but after the last couple of days filled with emotional fluctuations like a roller-coaster-ride, he had not been pleased with the prospect of spending hours at the airport waiting for a take-off…a take-off for a destination that was scaring him more and more the closer it came.

And so far, life wasn't treating him well. The airport was a nightmare, the hallways filled with impatient travelers, all annoyed that it wasn't their plane that was next in line for departure. There weren't enough seats for everybody, so after giving up his seat for a young, pretty lady an hour ago, he had wandered restlessly around the crowded airport looking for a seat. It wasn't until travellers for the Miami departure started boarding that he finally found one.

But what was worse, the wait had given him plenty of time to mentally review the sticky situation in which he found himself. A situation he didn't know how to handle. And the longer he thought about it, the more convinced he became that this whole trip was a BIG mistake.

It was a business-trip - and not just any business trip. It was without doubt the greatest and most exciting project he had ever been involved in, and yet, he had this aching feeling in his stomach, telling him he was getting into dangerous territory. His mind drifted a week back in time.

_Right after the morning briefing, he was called into one of the three senior-partner's office at 'Newton, Crowley and Dwyer,' the architectural company where he worked. Mr. Dwyer was a calm and distinguished-looking man, not usually agitated about anything. But this morning he was all excited and eager. _

_It turned out that the firm was about to be offered a multimillion dollar building project, involving an all-inclusive contract for the construction of a new Hotel complex in Beaver Creek, Colorado. The project was huge, but what made it even more compelling was that it possibly would lead to additional future projects within the same hotel chain, thereby confirming the architectural firm's financial security for years to come. The market had been tough the last couple of years in the architectural sector. Getting this contract would be a major coup, increasing both the profits and the publicity for the rather small firm. _

_The client had specifically requested the young up-and-coming engineer, Edward Cullen, to develop the blueprints and to coordinate all aspects of the project. She had also requested that Mr. Cullen should go to Beaver Creek with her, to inspect the building-site and discuss possible outlines for the Hotel. Whether 'Newton, Crowley and Dwyer' would get the assignment would depend on the outcome of that trip. _

_Edward was naturally overwhelmed and flattered by the assignment. This was too good to be true. Someone had specifically requested him! As the news sunk in, and he realized the significance of this project, Edward found himself smirking. It could become a major jumping off point for his career, and the partners had informed him that if he pulled this assignment home and carried the project through to the client's satisfaction, his odds of becoming the youngest partner ever in the firm would increase exponentially. But his smile had dropped immediately when he heard the name of the client. _

_Tanya Denali..... _

_In just one second it felt like all of the blood had drained from his cheeks. _

_He felt a shiver just thinking about her. Not that she wasn't attractive or charming. Actually she was both. But he knew that this little "lady" could lead him into some major trouble. Trouble he didn't need at the moment._

Argh... no! He didn't want to worry about it right now. He was going on the trip and it was too late to change his mind....he just had to find a way to deal with it, and he forced himself to shift his focus back to the surroundings in the airport waiting area.

The airport had been recently renovated, and Edward loved studying the architectural finesses of this giant building. The ceiling was high, _very_ high. And the wall facing the long row of airplanes actually just consisted of enormous windows, providing full view of the planes. The air terminal was one long, large hall, subdivided into small waiting areas in front of each gate. The waiting area in front of gate 44, where Edward was seated, was rather large, with comfortable seats lined up in rows facing each other in groups.

Most of the travelers were businessmen and women, like himself, dressed in fancy, expensive suits, traveling lightly with small suitcases to avoid having to check luggage, and laptops glued to their knees. None of them spoke, except when they talked to someone on the cellphone.

On the opposite side of the room, Edward noticed a family--a couple with three kids. All of them boys, and all of them _very_ active. It looked like they were about the same age as Emmett's kids.....

His mind wandered back to the conversation he had with his brother five days ago. Edward had gone over to Emmett's house to get some brotherly advice.

_The house was a total mess. Rosalie was out of town for a few days at a training for work, so Emmett was in charge of the household all by himself. But the chaos didn't seem to bother any of the boys in the house—not the kids or the father. _

_David and Daniel had obviously been having another bicycle-race in the living room, racing around the usual track from the kitchen, through the living room, out into the hallway, and back into the kitchen again through the other door, creating a circular loop, perfect for the five-year old twins' race. This activity was absolutely forbidden when mum was around, but Emmett loved hearing the boys cheering and laughing while chasing each other, and the twins knew how to exploit daddy's weakness. So they made use of every minute of wildness and freedom they could. _

_When Edward arrived, Emmett had sent them outside, into the yard. Pete, the oldest at eight years, had been all excited to see Uncle Edward. Pete was a bit nerdy, more interested in scientific experiments than in playing football like the rest of the boys on his age. He and his uncle seemed to have a special connection, and Edward had realized that it probably was because Pete reminded him so much of himself when he was eight years old. _

_Pete had dragged Edward into his room, proudly showing him his new electro-set that he had gotten a few days before. Usually Edward would have loved to spend an hour building with Pete, but this day he had been too distracted and absent-minded to stay in the room for more than a few minutes. _

_"Want a beer?" Emmett asked while opening the fridge and pulling out two Heinekens. _

_"Sure," Edward agreed while reaching up to extract two large beer glasses from the cupboard. _

_The brothers entered the living room and sunk down into the large sofa. Emmett had a good view through the windows overlooking the yard, keeping track of the twins playing in the snow. _

_"So, what's up, bro?" Emmett asked, looking curiously at Edward. It wasn't often that Edward dropped by unexpectedly in the middle of the week. The second Emmett had seen Edward coming through the front door, he knew something was up. _

_"Ehm.... I got a new assignment at work..... a big one," Edward hesitantly informed him. _

_"That's great, Edward.....What kind of project is it?" _

_"Well, it's not all settled yet, but we might get this huge contract for a new hotel in Beaver Creek in Colorado. And they want me to lead it." _

_"Whoa, that's really great! So why this stone face?" Edward couldn't help but smile. Emmett always read him so easily. _

_A sigh escaped Edwards lips, while searching for the right words to explain the situation."The project is actually fantastic. The best one I've ever been assigned to. I already have all of these great ideas, and in some ways I can't wait to get started. It's not the project that's the problem; it's the client." _

_"Can't be that bad, can it? Who is it?" _

_"It can be... believe me. It's Tanya Denali," Edward frowned. _

_"__**Your**__ Tanya Denali?" _

_"She's NOT __**mine**__, but yeah, it's her" Edward answered, looking up at his brother to gauge his reaction. _

_But to Edward's annoyance Emmett burst out in laughter. "That is too freaking funny, dude," he chuckled while slapping his knee. "But you don't have to deal with her directly, do you?" _

_"Actually, I do. It seems she has taken a special interest in this project, and she wants to work closely with me on the whole thing. She's even planned for us to go to Beaver Creek together next week, to check out the location." _

_"Ouch!" Emmett laughed,"this could become complicated, Edward. So why don't you refuse to do it? I'm sure your company could come up with a few other competent engineers for the job." _

_"That's the problem, Em! She specifically requested me! If I pull out, the firm wont get the contract. And we really need this assignment." _

_"Whoa, that woman knows how to play her cards." _

_"She sure does. I feel like I have to sell my soul to the devil." _

_"The devil?!? That is some comparison. But from what you've told me about her, she might even be flattered by that reference!" Emmett took a swallow of the beer, still smirking, then continued, "So she's really got you trapped, huh? Well, you can't say she didn't warn you." Emmett tried to suppress a grin. _

_"She did. Though I never thought she would really try after I turned her down. But I'm sure she's right--she always gets what she wants". _

_"So why don't you just lean back and relax. Ease up a bit on your high standards, and just go along for the ride. You can even take that literally if you want!" And once again he burst out in laughter. _

_"Very funny, Emmett." _

_"I mean, it's not like she's ugly or anything. Actually she's hot, little bro. And the two of you did hit it a lot in the beginning. Why bother with all the morality? I mean, you're single--you can do whatever the hell you want. You wouldn't be the one cheating if you two got together; she would. And for all you know, the little Mrs. could even have an agreement with the old man that she's allowed to play around." _

_"You know me Emmett. I'm not going to fool around with a married woman, deal or no deal. The second I found out she was married, I pulled out. And it actually appalled me that she hit on me like that, hiding from me the fact she was married." _

_"I can't blame her. She'd obviously realized that she didn't stand a chance of getting into your pants if she told you the truth. So why would she? Just seems like a committed and goal-oriented chick to me." Once again he was smirking. _

_"It's just wrong, Emmett. But I have no idea how to reject her again, without her pulling back the contract from the firm. It's like I have to prostitute myself for this job. So please tell me how to get out of this." _

_"You're asking me how to turn down a drop dead hot chick, who is practically serving herself up to you on a plate? And she's even willing to sign your firm to this huge contract that would not only be a goldmine for your company, but would probably also give your own career a major lift? How do you get out of THAT? You're a peculiar man, Edward. Nope, I have no idea how to do that. But knowing you, I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out…"_

"Henry! You're not listening!" A sharp female voice brought Edward back to the present.

On his left an elderly couple was seated. Right next to him was the woman who had snapped at her husband for not paying enough attention to her, and on her other side was the hapless Henry. Since Edward had been seated next to them for about an hour, he had soon learned that they had just spent the weekend at their son's house, seeing their newborn grandchild for the first time.

The woman had so far spent most of the waiting time commenting on pictures of their new granddaughter, and she continued showing the photos to her husband, expecting him to share her everlasting joy and excitement about the little miracle. Edward had been quite impressed by the husband's stamina, but after an hour the man was getting tired, and his answers were becoming shorter and terser, eventually just sounding like a few occasional grunts, all to his wife's major dissatisfaction. But the lady was unremitting, and as she gave up on the husband, she looked around for another victim.

Edward silently cursed himself the second his eyes met hers. Her face literally brightened up, and Edward immediately knew he was in big trouble.

"Ah... this delay is so annoying, don't you think? You must be all stressed out about wasting your time here. You look like a busy young man." She studied his suit. "On a business trip?"

"Yes," Edward replied rather dismissively, supplying a shorter answer that he would typically provide. But he didn't think it would help to encourage her any more than necessary.

"Yes, I thought so, I thought so," she continued. "I know how to recognize an important young businessman when I see one. Actually you remind me of my son, well, our son," she corrected, as she gestured towards her husband. "We've just visited him and our daughter-in-law. They are such a lovely couple. And they just had their first child--actually _our_ first grandchild," she said with a gleaming face.

Before Edward had a chance to brush her off with another short answer, she pulled out the photo album again, and placed it in his lap.

"You really must see these pictures. Let me show you."

And not giving him a chance to decline, the sweet lady started a long and thorough presentation of the hundreds of pictures, all featuring the same subject, in different situations. Actually, Edward thought the pictures all looked the same - the baby sleeping or eating. The only thing that changed was the colour of the romper suit.

Edward didn't say anything; he couldn't get a word in edgeways anyway, and pretty soon he kind of gave up, leaning back and letting her talk. She didn't seem to notice his quietness, and maybe she didn't care either. She was just happy that she had the chance to go through the pictures once more.

As the photographs and the minutes passed by, Edward became more and more frustrated, frantically searching for a way to get out of the situation. But the lady was clever. She had an impressive ability to breathe in the middle of a sentence, so that she didn't leave any gaps in the conversation for Edward to try to end it. After about fifteen minutes he started to wonder if she had been hit by some kind of grandmother-puerperal manic condition.

Just as he was about to give up on being polite, and snap at her with a desperate comment to make her stop, someone suddenly called out for him.

"Edward, is that really you?! God, it's so good to see you!!"

He looked up and recognized the young woman to whom he had offered his seat a few hours ago.

"Erm..huh?" he reluctantly stammered, having no idea how she knew his name, and why she suddenly seemed to be so familiar with him.

"Well, don't just sit there. Get up and give me a hug!" she ordered. And before he knew what had happened, she pulled him up and embraced him tightly...


	2. Chapter 2

"Aw thanks, that's so kind of you," she had murmured shyly, as an attractive man about her own age got up and offered her his seat. After having searched for a place to sit for about half an hour already, she was profoundly grateful to sit down and relax, finally.

She'd been stressed out all afternoon, worried that she would miss her flight. The staggering amounts of snow had created the usual traffic chaos in Chicago and it had been impossible to hail a cab. As humiliating as it was, she had finally been forced to call her father's office for help.

She hated that.

Hated everything related to his office and his post as Chicago Police Superintendent, and she usually made a point to never take advantage of the fringe benefits related to his job. But since it seemed like the weather and the ensuing traffic jam had joined forces against her this particular day, she had finally surrendered and made the agonizing call.

Her father's office had sent a car to pick her up immediately and she had to admit to herself that she had never been so relieved to see that police car as today. The officer driving it had told her to calm down; it appeared that all flights had been delayed because of the snowstorm, so they had plenty of time.

He was right. When she arrived at the airport she hastily checked out the electronic board for departing flights, which informed her that all planes were delayed for _at least_ three hours. A relieved sigh slipped from her lips as she realized she would indeed make it out of Chicago and she quickly checked her luggage, passing through security surprisingly fast.

But finding a seat in the terminal turned out to be an unusually daunting challenge, so after about 30 minutes she was truly grateful when the young man apparently took pity on her and let her have his seat.

_Hmm....good to see that the species of Gentlemenus Americanus is not entirely extinct,_ she silently told herself, as she slipped into the warm seat.

_And whoa....this one is even good-looking. Hm....No...._ _'Good-looking' is an understatment. He's actually.... beautiful,_ she noticed, as she let her eyes roam over the tall, slender figure hastily packing up his laptop in his attaché case.

As he leaned down and picked up his newspaper from the floor, his boarding pass slipped out of his pocket. Before he even noticed it himself, Bella quickly scooped up the pass and handed it over.

"Um...you dropped your boarding pass. Here you are Mr......Cullen," she offered, not being able to resist checking out his name.

"Ah, thanks. I better hold on to that," he replied with an impish grin as he slid the pass down into his case. Their fingers accidentally touched during the exchange and a small electrical shock jolted through her body; a shock she wasn't familiar with but which she liked nonetheless.

She caught a quick glimpse of his eyes, immediately feeling drawn into those intense, deep green pools, which almost made her heart skip a beat.

"Thanks again for the seat. You're a true gentleman," she had said softly, mesmerized. But the man had already turned away and strolled towards another gate, not hearing her last comment.

He seemed to embody the 'tall, dark and handsome' ideal of a man, except for the small detail that his hair wasn't dark, but bronze-colored. Even though she usually didn't like the suit-wearing type, she had to admit that this man looked sinfully good. The contrast between the riotous hair and the impeccable Armani-suit was appealing. The suit fit him perfectly, revealing his well-shaped masculine body with broad shoulders, slim waist, and lean thighs, which almost asked to be grabbed and pinched.

A few flashes suddenly popped into her head, picturing her hand roaming over those well shaped naked buttocks, feeling the well-trained, muscular gluteus maximus underneath. In her fantasy her hand trailed up his back and drew around his shoulders, caressing his chest, appreciating the taut, hard body beneath her fingers while letting herself drown in a pair of piercing green mesmerizing eyes. The fantasy instantly made her flush and stirred something deep inside her which had been neglected for a long time.

_Jeez Bella.....you're pathetic. Sitting here drooling over some stranger!_

Here she was, 27 years old, depressingly single, without one single date during the last 2 years. She hadn't even been close to one. Not that she hadn't had opportunities. She'd had offers. But ever since her teenage years she'd had a predilection for the wrong kind of men - the _bad_ ones, as her friend Alice said. And so far these guys had done nothing but get her into trouble.

So two years ago when she started her "new life", she had voluntarily taken a vow of celibacy and promised herself not to be bewitched by another alpha male again. She needed to get her life back on track, without the distraction of a man, and since she was such a lousy judge of character, she'd come to the conclusion that she might as well play it safe for a while.

Her self-imposed celibacy had proven surprisingly easy. Actually, she loved the independence and freedom her vow had brought, and it was exceedingly liberating to say whatever came to mind without worrying about being more clever than the men around her, thereby scaring them off.

So after two years of barren sexual winter she was actually surprised to feel the carnal instincts springing to life again without warning. She couldn't believe she was sitting here in the airport lusting over some unknown man who just happened to be nice to her. She was quite pathetic.

_Get a grip!_, she silently scolded herself as she forced her attention to the medical journal she had plucked out of her crammed handbag. Figuring that her indecent thoughts had to be some weird rebound effect from her panicky getaway earlier this afternoon, she leaned back and started reading an utterly boring article titled _The Effects of Valproat Compared to Lithium on Acute Manic Episodes in Bipolar Disorder._

Ten minutes later she gave up. Still feeling the high adrenaline levels in her blood after the mortifying trip in the police car, mixed in with the weird distraction of encountering perfectly shaped buttocks, she realized that she felt too manic herself to be able to focus on a boring medical journal article. Why read about the symptoms of mania when she was experiencing them herself?

She was actually surprised that she had felt so panicked this afternoon. She wouldn't usually consider the possibility of missing a plane back to Denver so disastrous, but the thought of spending another night in Chicago had repulsed her tremendously.

She was so relieved to be heading home, and actually quite happy that her Chicago trip had been shortened by three days. She thought that by now it would have been easier returning to her old life in the Windy City, but every time she visited her father and her old friends the melancholic memories seemed to catch up with her, making her once again regret the trip. This was no exception.

Her dark thoughts brought her back to the events since landing in Chicago.

_The initial few days of her visit were good. Charlie seemed happy to see her and for once, her father had actually asked her a little about her "new life". Not much - actually just a few questions. But it was enough to make her feel that maybe, after all, he cared a little._

_Even though she had lived in Beaver Creek for two years, he still hadn't found the time to come visit her. Not that it surprised her. It had been like that for as long as she could remember. His career in the Chicago Police Department, and now his burdensome tasks as the Chicago Police Superintendent, had made him a very distant figure in her life. In some ways she had come to terms with his neglect, but it still hurt a bit every time he canceled another appointment with her because something more important came up._

_After having spent a few days with friends, Bella and her father planned to have a birthday dinner together. Just the two of them at her favorite restaurant to celebrate her 27th birthday._

_They had agreed to meet at "The Mamma Rosa". As usual, Bella arrived a few minutes late and hurried into the restaurant, asking the maître d' for the Swan table._

_"Miss Swan?" he asked. "I'm afraid I have a message for you."_

_Her heart dropped instantly; she knew what he was about to say. Not again!_

_"Superintendent Swan's secretary called a few minutes ago. She asked us to inform you that the Superintendent was unfortunately forced to leave town this afternoon due to an emergency meeting in Washington D.C. He won't be back until the day after tomorrow."_

_It felt like a slap in her face._

_"And she asked me to tell you that the Superintendent was very sorry and that he will make it up to you the next time you're in town, Miss Swan."_

_Trying to find a facial expression which didn't reveal her disappointment, she simply nodded. It was all about appearances in her family._

_It wasn't just the cancellation itself that hurt so much, it was that fact that once again he didn't even have the decency to pick up the phone to call her himself._

_"OK. Thanks for telling me," she told the maître d, trying to sound unaffected but feeling tears starting to fill her eyes._

_She quickly left the restaurant and was grateful she managed to get a cab straight away. But sitting in the cab on her way back to her father's house, a long line of the bad memories marched through her mind and she soon found herself weeping like a little schoolgirl._

_Birthday parties without her dad...Images of him and her beside her mother's grave...Flames dancing...Guilt...Charlie's empty eyes...Loneliness...Graduation day from med school, feeling the shame of being the only one without a family member present...Bad company...Another funeral...Breakdown...Flight... _

_The thoughts came over her like a huge wave, crashing her back to the feeling of despair and hopelessness that had driven her away from Chicago two years ago. For two years she had almost managed to keep this breakdown out of her mind, blocking it out completely, sometimes almost as if it never happened._

_But now, sitting in the cab, tears were streaming down her cheeks again. She had fled from it all and had managed to start a new life away from the pressure, the guilt and her father's disapproving glare._

_Before the cab returned to her father's house, she arrived at a decision. She had to shorten her stay in Chicago. She had to get away from here. She needed to get back to Colorado...back to her refuge and safe haven. Away from the bad memories....she had to make her past fade away again._

Bella's attention shifted back to present time. Back to the airport and the crowded gate. But despite the chaos and the uncertainty about when her plane would depart, she now felt better. Relieved. Happy to be leaving all the bad memories behind and to jump back on track once again. She decided to give _the Manic_ _Episodes_ another try.

~*~

An hour passed by and she actually managed to get through the article, learning that lithium _indeed _had a superior effect at reducing the manic episodes as compared to valproat. Considering her recent emotional upheaval, she wondered if she should prescribe herself some lithium.

When she finished and looked up she noticed that Mr. Tall-_Bronze_-and-Handsome had returned. He was now seated a few rows away from her, reading his newspaper thoroughly, looking slightly restless.

From her position, she had a perfect view of his profile and once again she couldn't help but admire his beautiful appearance. Since this time she could observe him from a distance without his knowledge, she gave in to the temptation of checking him out more thoroughly.

She had never before seen such a vision of male perfection in person. The man was clean-shaven with strong classical features. His tousled, coppery hair seemed to have a mind of its own and it glinted in the dim, indoor light, appearing as an eye catcher. His skin was pale, smooth and perfect. She noticed a single mole on his left temple. But other than that, she would have described his skin as spotless. He appeared to be gentle - and _dangerously_ dazzling. He somehow reminded her of a predator. Everything about him invited her in.

He was tall, about 6'1". Broad shoulders. Lean and athletic, maybe a swimmer?

_Edward Cullen,_ she remembered from the boarding card.

_Nice name...suits him well._ _Wonder what such a man does for living? _

_Armani suit....gotta make a good salary....Maybe an attorney? Or an accountant? Doctor? Hmm...No, she probably would have recognized a colleague._

He radiated a certain amount of confidence and she felt quite sure that he was good at what he did.

_A politician? No._

He definitely had the looks and the charisma for politics, but somehow he seemed a bit too shy...and maybe a bit too genuine as well?

But maybe the suit was a cover up--some kind of camouflage? Maybe a secret agent? Bella smiled at her own rather silly thoughts.

He could be some kind of workman or craftsman.

Her eyes trailed down to his hands, noticing the long, graceful, slender fingers, showing no sign of hard work.

_No, those hands were too well cared for. Maybe some kind of artist? Hmm... _

He did seem almost artistically graceful, but the suit didn't fit the profile of a Bohemian artist. No, he had to be some kind of businessman.

Bella's eyes were drawn back to the hands again.

She silently swallowed. He was holding a pen between his fingertips, slowly playing with it. Moving his index finger slowly up and down along the pen. She was completely entranced by these fingers, her mouth dropping slightly open.

_Wow...wonder what he could do with those fingers._

Her mind was going straight to the gutter again, but this time she didn't try to stop herself. On the contrary, she found pleasure in dwelling on the forbidden thoughts. Relishing the long lost excitement he somehow awoke in her, she let herself linger on the fantasy.

She found the thought of having an intimate moment with this Adonis surprisingly appealing and she would have loved exploring the man's body thoroughly. Not only admiring all his glory from a distance, but _touching him,_ _feeling_ _him_...

She silently suppressed a deep sigh, blushing at the same time.

The primordial urge to touch the man was overwhelming and she imagined running her fingers through his wild, riotous hair, cupping his head with her hands, letting her light touch follow the curvature forward along the crown of his skull and angling down to his forehead. She envisaged her fingers lingering a moment on his skin, appreciatively exploring the mole on his temple. She would brush over his forehead and his cheeks with her fingertips, ending up at his perfect lips.

_Ahh...those lips._

Full and delicately sculptured. She could actually detect the softness and sensitivity they possessed. She imagined exploring them, letting her index finger slide along his upper lip - full and soft - moving down to his lower lip, urging him to open his mouth.

She imagined him gently biting her finger, teasing her and letting his tongue sweep over her fingertip. Something stirred deep within her and shivers travelled up her spine just thinking about how she would lean in and nip that bottom lip with her own, licking and teasing it, tasting him and finally taking posession of his mouth with her own.

_Whoa Bella,_ she silently told herself_. Where did __**that **__come from? Seems like Alice is right. You really do need to get laid!_

She was so surprised by her reaction towards him. It had been a long time since a man had produced such an effect on her. Actually she couldn't remember _ever_ being so instantly attracted to anybody like this.

But it seemed like she wasn't the only one interested in the Adonis. An elderly woman seated next to him had pulled out a photo album, enthusiastically showing him the pictures.

Bella could hear fragments of what appeared to be an impressive monologue from the chatty woman, with a detailed description of her first grandchild's outstanding qualities, including claims that she was the most beautiful child anyone had ever seen. Mr. Tall-Bronze-and-Handsome was very polite and silently listened to the grandmother's extremely biased glorification of the infant prodigy. The lady was cornering the poor guy completely, not leaving him a chance to cut her off.

Bella actually found the situation rather amusing and couldn't help but wonder how long it would take before Mr. Tall-Bronze-and-Handsome had endured enough.

After 5 minutes, Bella was impressed. This man _really_ had patience.

When another 5 minutes had passed she started feeling sorry for him. This garrulous grandmother was relentless. Bella knew he would have to cut her off quite rudely to make her stop and it was obvious that he didn't have the heart to do it...yet.

Another 5 minutes passed and the signs were obvious now. The "meltdown" was approaching quickly and a blow-off seemed inevitable.

But suddenly Bella had an idea and before she had time to think it through, she popped up off her seat and set out on a rescue mission. With a few long, quick strides she incidentally approached the couple.

"Edward, is that really you?! God, it's so good to see you!!"

She was trying to appear as though she only just spotted him and she was surprised by her own impulsiveness. The man was completely bewildered by her interference and obviously didn't know how to respond.

Afraid he would ruin the rescue mission before it had even begun, Bella carried on, completely acting on an impulse.

"Well, don't just sit there. Get up and give me a hug!" she demanded, shocked by the boldness in her own voice.

And before either of them really realized what was happening, she pulled him up and embraced him with her slender arms.

tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

The hug was brief and she was completely shocked by her own behavior. It definitely wasn't a well thought-out plan to embrace a stranger in the airport; it was simply a result of her inner impulses seizing control for a short while. Her hands only lingered on his back for a moment but it was long enough for her to establish that he felt just as firm and tight as she had imagined.

Before she released him, she managed to regain control of herself again and quietly whispered into his ear,"Just play along. I'm trying to help you out here."

Edward was stunned - caught completely off guard. His arms encircled her waist hesitantly, obviously not knowing how to react to the scenario in which he found himself all of the sudden.

"Aw...please don't look like you don't remember me, Edward. It's me - Bella!" she announced with a louder voice, trying to sound like she was slightly miffed about his reluctance.

He was still dumbstruck, and she was suddenly terrified that he would blow her off and reveal her charade. She couldn't think of a more embarrassing situation. She glanced at the old lady, who miraculously had stopped talking and was observing the scene in front of her with great interest. A few milliseconds ticked away. To Bella it felt like minutes.

Edward found himself staring into the most gorgeous chocolate-brown eyes that he had ever seen. Warm pools of copper which made his heart skip a beat. The woman was neat and slender, and long auburn curls cascaded down over her shoulders. He had had no idea who she was. He couldn't believe he had missed how stunning she was when he had let her have his seat.

"Bella? From Roosevelt University?!" she added with hopeful, begging eyes. _Please work with me!_ her eyes silently pleaded.

Edward had no idea what she was up to, but she seemed honest and he didn't doubt her good intentions. From the corner of his eye he noticed the old woman studying him intently, curiously awaiting his reaction, and he finally recovered from his stupor.

"Oh, Bella! I didn't recognize you...you, you look so different! It sure is good to see you too!"

Realizing that he finally had come to his senses, the most dazzling smile appeared on her beautiful face. This time it was him acting on an impulse, taking Bella by surprise when he pulled her in for another tight hug and even gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Even though he didn't know the woman, he sure didn't mind joining in on the act, making the scene more believable. He could sell this little act just as well as her! Before he released her, he couldn't help but notice the sweet vanilla scent lingering on her elegant neck.

As he let go of her, he let his eyes roam over her from head to toe. He definitely liked what he saw. "You look beautiful, Bella. How _are_ you?"

Even though she knew it was all an act, she felt a slight flutter inside as she watched him check her out, and she couldn't help feeling flattered by his compliment. She felt her cheeks turning slightly red. "I'm good, thanks. You're not looking too bad yourself either." Once again she was captured by his deep, intense gaze. _Jeez, she could get lost in those eyes!_ But she was determined to carry through with her plan.

"So where are you headed, Edward?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible, though feeling anything but relaxed.

Keeping up the charade himself, he answered, "On my way to Denver, on business. You?"

"Me too. Not on business though. I'm heading home. I live in Beaver Creek these days. It's a few hours drive north of Denver," she explained. Casting another sideways glance at the lady, she continued, "Listen, we've got so much to catch up on. Please come and sit beside me. There's an empty seat next to mine...just a few rows away, over there."

Finally understanding what she was trying to do, he immediately replied, "That would be great."

As he turned around, he addressed the old lady, "I'm sorry, I have to go. I just met a friend of mine. But thanks for the chat, ma'am and good luck with the grandchild!" And with the speed of light he scooped up his belongings and followed the mysterious woman.

As soon as they were outside of earshot, he quietly whispered, "_Thank you." _He was intrigued by this woman, who suddenly appeared as his saving grace, swooping in out of nowhere.

"_No problem,"_ she replied, leading the way over to her seat.

It suddenly occurred to Bella that her interference might be totally misunderstood. What if he thought she was hitting on him - that she had hidden motives for helping him out? She knew the hug was way out of line and why on earth did she interfere in the first place? People usually don't go around interrupting strangers in their conversations with others, pretending they know them.

Feeling the panic starting to rise with blood rapidly pumping through her veins, she tried to discern how to get out of the situation without making a total fool of herself. Should she just thank him again for giving up his seat for her earlier and leave, or should she try to explain her peculiar behavior?

Before she came to a conclusion, they arrived to her seat and Bella was surprised to find that there now actually _was_ a free seat next to hers. She saw no other option than to sit down beside him.

"Nice little rescue mission you pulled off there. That was kind of you." He felt immensely grateful to have escaped the clutches of the manic grandmother, but he still had no idea what had brought the young woman to intervene. Somehow she didn't come across as if she was making a pass at him. She seemed a bit too modest for that.

"You're welcome," she replied, still smiling, but feeling quite uncomfortable as well. She believed she ought to say something more, but her mind had gone completely blank. When she had set out on her mission, she hadn't contemplated what would happen afterwards, and now she was rapidly arriving to the conclusion that she'd better get the hell away from there. And even though she really didn't know what she was afraid of, there was no doubt she could get out of her depths quickly with this guy. But before she had a chance to gather her things, he cleared his voice.

"Is it a habit of yours - rescuing strangers being attacked by old women with photo albums?" he quietly asked with a soft chuckle.

A giggle escaped her lips. She straightened up and gazed back at him. Feeling the tension vanish like dew before the sun, her shoulders dropped a few inches and courage returned. "Actually it is. I try to save at least one man every time I'm in the airport. So you filled my quota for the day," she retorted.

"So that's what I am? Your _'quota for the day?'"_ He sent her a mischievous glance. "Very disappointing. And here I thought I was special!" he pouted in a sulking tone, not being able to suppress a grin.

_What? Was he flirting with her now?_

"Yeah...sorry about that. I do this all the time. I've left quite a few broken hearts behind me in the airports."

"I bet you have...guess I'll have to work harder to get your attention then."

"I guess you will," she agreed, shrugging with feigned disinterest. But her gleaming eyes revealed that she indeed enjoyed the flirting and that he definitely already had her attention.

Edward didn't miss it either. He was intrigued by this beautiful woman, who seemed to possess a compelling mixture of shyness and boldness at the same time.

Still feeling the need to explain she continued. "Huh...look...I'm sorry I meddled in your affairs. It really wasn't my business. But I got the distinct impression that you didn't find the pictures interesting at all, and I didn't think she would have stopped anytime soon."

"Me neither; she was merciless. I definitely owe you one!" He sounded truly grateful.

"No you don't. You gave up your seat for me, so I owed _you_! This makes us even," she retorted with a smile.

"Huh...too bad. I liked the idea of 'owing you one'. It would have made a perfect excuse to ask you out sometime."

Bella didn't reply. Her heart had stopped beating for a second and it seemed like he had somehow erased her ability to speak. _Here we go. He did think I was hitting on him!_

She swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. She was fighting an inner battle, struggling between her stipulation of keeping away from men in general and the alluring temptation to give in to the flirtation with this attractive man.

Edward couldn't help but notice her hesitation and was afraid maybe he had pushed her too far. He silently held his breath, awaiting her reaction.

Hormones winning out over reason, she finally replied, "You're quite a charmer aren't you?! We haven't even introduced ourselves and here you're already inviting me on a date."

"Well, I must remind you, that _you_ were the one who started the hugging." He felt slightly relieved to hear her retort, feeling that maybe he had a chance to get to know this woman better.

An infectious laughter escaped her lips. "Touché, Mr. Cullen."

Not giving up he continued, "So tell me, how do you know my name?" He was still curious about how she'd pulled off the recent subterfuge.

"Your boarding pass, remember? You dropped it when you offered me your seat."

"Ah...that's right. Forgot about that. You must be very observant."

_More than you would ever know_, she smirked, thinking back to her indecently thorough "inspection" of his physical appearance earlier. Her cheeks turned red once more.

"And your name is Bella?" he asked, not sure if that was real or part of her charade.

"It is. But I _never_ attended Roosevelt University," she confirmed with a frown.

"Me neither," he answered with a chuckle. "I went to Loyola."

"Northwestern here," she replied, without further explanation.

"Well, even though we've already been rather, uh... _intimate_, I still feel a more formal greeting is in order...Hello Bella, such a pleasure meeting you," he offered, stretching out his hand to shake hers. He sent her the most dashing smile she had ever seen and her heart almost skipped a beat. Bella found his smile almost as hypnotizing as his eyes and was distracted for a moment staring at his mouth.

"Um...yeah...hi, Edward...uh...nice to meet you too," she stuttered, trying to pull her attention away from his full and perfectly shaped lips again.

She suddenly realized he was still waiting for her to take his hand and she finally slipped her hand into his. She felt his long firm fingers enveloping her slender hand. They felt even gentler than she had imagined, and the electrical charges she had experienced when touching him the first time had not decreased. The handshake was a fraction of a second longer than would be expected and Bella was the one to pull her hand back first. She immediately missed the warmth from his touch.

_Get a grip, Bella. You're acting like a weirdo here. Focus!_

Edward felt the intensity of the touch just as much as she did and was surprised by the immediate and strong attraction he felt towards this woman.

"Did you say that you live in Beaver Creek?" he asked.

"I do. You know Beaver Creek?" She was surprised. Beaver Creek was a small town - not exactly the hub of the Universe, and she usually had to explain to people where it was located.

"Yeah. It's actually where I'm headed myself. Never been there though, so I can't say I really 'know it'."

"You're going to Beaver Creek? What a coincidence. What kind of business are you in?" She was curious to find out if she had been anywhere close on her own previous wild speculations.

"I work for an architectural company here in Chicago, as an engineer. Going out there to check out a possible project."

_Ah...engineer...yeah, that makes sense, _she thought. _Seems like a straight-and-systematic-kind-of-guy._ He appeared well-groomed and meticulous, and she had noticed the perfect order in his briefcase, which contrasted sharply to her own rather messy purse.

"So a Chicago firm is being a hired to do a project in Beaver Creek? That's quite a distance."

"Well, usually it's not a problem, if we're just doing the blueprints. We can do drawings from a distance for anywhere in the world - Phoenix, Seattle - you name it! But since this will probably be an all-inclusive contract, it actually is a bit unusual to use a Chicago firm."

"So why are they doing it then?" Before he had a chance to respond, she raised her hand, "Sorry! Don't answer that! It's such a bad habit of mine, sticking my nose into other people's business. Five minutes ago I even kidnapped you from that nice old lady over there!" Bella was rolling her eyes at her own bad behavior.

Another laugh emerged from Edward. "Yeah, you definitely did! But I'm so grateful for that. And I don't mind the question." He sent her a calming smile. "Actually, I'm not really sure. The clients seem to want to use a firm they already know. It's not really settled yet, though _if_ we get the contract, I guess there will be a lot of travelling for me for the next year." Afraid she might find his explanation dull, he tried shifting focus back to her. "But you _live_ in Beaver Creek?"

"Yes. Well, I'm originally from Chicago, but I've lived there for two years now. Wanted to get away from the hectic urban life for a while, and Beaver Creek seemed perfect."

"Has it lived up to your expectations then?"

"Oh, yes. Beaver Creek is the epitome of a bedroom community. V_ery_ quiet. So if you're a party-type of guy, you will probably find it totally boring up there! But it's been great for me for these two years."

Something told him that there was a 'story' behind her retreat to Beaver Creek. She didn't seem like a person who would seek solitude on a permanent basis, so he figured something must have driven her away from Chicago.

Deciding not to push the subject further he continued,"So what's to do in Beaver Creek for a guy like me - besides finding out how to convince you to let me take you out?"

The man kept on surprising her with his persistence. He was definitely not giving up!

"I mean, you gotta give me a chance to get out of that 'quota-of-the-day'-category. Imagine what it would do to my reputation, if people knew!"

She couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I guess that would be devastating. Not to mention what it would do to your ego," she added in a mocking tone.

"Yeah, it would probably result in a serious lack in self-confidence, which would make me pull back from socializing. I would gradually isolate myself from everyone, causing me trouble at work as well, and I guess I would eventually lose my job, too. Not being able pay the rent, I would be kicked out of my apartment and end up homeless, living on the streets, which would make my health deteriorate. I'd be sick, lonely, unemployed and homeless - all because you wouldn't go out with me!"

"Whoa! I did all of this to you?" she asked playfully with a smile. "Well at least I didn't get you locked away in prison."

"You never know what it would all lead to."

"Hmm...I feel guilty already."

"Good," he replied with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Well about Beaver Creek; there's really not much to do there," Bella continued. "No nightclubs or fancy bars, and there are just two restaurants in town. The only movie theater features just one movie every night, and they are usually three months overdue compared to what's showing in Chicago."

Then she looked back at him, issuing a challenge with her fiery copper eyes. "But there's the ski resort of course."

"Ski resort?"

"Yeah, it's not very big, but it's nice. I actually work there as a ski instructor."

Since she had moved to Beaver Creek, she had chosen to work at the resort on weekends. Even though she had long, rough work-weeks at the medical center as a doctor, she found the weekends much harder to get through. The time alone, consumed by her own feelings of failure and guilt, drove her to fill up all of her free time with activities, and Bella had soon realized that teaching children to ski was a blessing to her troubled soul. The kids made her forget about her past and focus on present time again. Her parents had owned a luxurious mountain home in one of the most fashionable ski resorts in Colorado since she was a little girl, so she was a skilled skier, having no problems taking on the tasks as a ski instructor.

Edward was a quite capable skier too, but he couldn't imagine a more enchanting ski instructor, so he decided to bend the truth a bit.

"So I'm dealing with a ski pro here. That's kind of scary. I've practically never managed to get down a slope myself."

She shot his graceful body a quick glance. "Somehow I doubt that. You don't come across as the clumsy sort."

"You would never know. I'll spare you the details of my traumatic adventures on the slopes, and just end with the conclusion that I'm better off with both my feet planted solidly on the ground." He did feel a little guilty about not being completely honest with her, but a plan started forming in his mind and he intended to fill her in on the truth as soon as she accepted the deal.

"Everybody can learn how to ski. I usually teach kids and so far I haven't had a single child who hasn't managed to learn the basics."

He wasn't surprised to find out she worked with children. She appeared to be a caring and considerate person and he was sure the kids loved her.

"So do you ever have lessons with absolutely hopeless engineers, trying to get down the slopes without killing themselves?"

"Not on a daily basis, no," she answered, suppressing the smile that danced around the corners of her mouth.

"OK, I'll make you a deal. If you teach me how to get down the slope without breaking any bones, I'll take you out to dinner...?"

Bella didn't answer. She was very well aware that he was playing her, but she enjoyed the conversation too much to brush him off completely.

"Lunch? Cup of coffee?" he continued, undeterred by her silence.

_Don't do this, Bella! It's time for retreat! _Her mind kept screaming at her to keep up her guard, but strangely enough she found herself feeling very unguarded when it involved this man. And she'd only known him for like ten minutes!

Instead of pulling back, she heard herself reply, "You call that a deal? It seems like a total win-win-situation for you! I mean, what's in it for me?"

"Well, I guess seeing me stumble down the slopes would be rather entertaining. And I hoped you would enjoy the challenge of teaching a clumsy fool to discover the benefits of skiing. _And_ I would do my very best to make the dinner most memorable for you."

Before Bella had the chance to answer, her cell started to ring. "Excuse me," she murmured with an apologetic smile, frantically searching for her cell in her crammed purse.

As she flipped it open, she recognized a Colorado exchange on the caller ID and her face lit up with pleasure, realizing that her friend was calling. "Hi, Alice."

"Hey, Bella. So where are you? Stuck at the airport?"

"I am. How did you know?"

"The snowstorm in Chicago is all over the news, so I figured you would probably be delayed." Bella had called Alice the evening before and informed her that she was returning to Beaver Creek the following day.

"Yes, it's pretty chaotic here. I have no idea when my plane will leave. It's already been delayed three hours."

"Ah...that sucks sweetie. I hope you aren't too bored."

"No it's OK, Alice. It's actually been quite interesting," Bella enigmatically stated with a smirk on her face.

"Interesting? How can waiting three hours, stuck in a crowded airport, be interesting?"

"Trust me, it can. I'll tell you about it sometime." Knowing Mr. Tall-Bronze-and-Handsome could hear every word she said, she was not going to let anything slip to Alice about her new acquaintance.

" Hmm...now I'm intrigued. Give me a clue, Bells!"

"No, my lips are sealed...for now."

"OK, I'll be looking forward for your full report then." Her tone turned more serious. "But Bella, the reason I'm calling is that I wanted to tell you that Charles has gotten worse. He was brought into the clinic today and Mike decided to keep him here until tomorrow." Bella's heart dropped immediately at the mention of her good friend returning to the hospital.

"How bad is he, Alice?" She almost didn't dare to ask. She knew it had to be bad to prompt Alice to call her.

"Pretty bad, I'm afraid. His ascites has returned and the pain is just getting worse. His belly is quite distended again. I can't believe how fast the accumulation of fluid occurred this time. I mean, it's just been two weeks since you drained him the last time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, I think it was something like that. How's his breathing?" she asked, remembering how rapid his ventilation had been last time.

"He's got a lot of dyspnea, but the saturation was 92%. So it could be worse. But Mike thought that there might be some pleural effusion as well. So we're doing a chest X-ray in the morning. Maybe he needs to have the lungs drained too. He's sleeping now, on a pretty high dosage of morphine. But I hope it will get better when we drain the ascites tomorrow."

Since the fluid in the abdomen and the lungs was just a secondary symptom to the primary cancer disease, Bella knew very well that the repeating evacuations of the extra fluid from the abdominal cavity were only a temporary symptomatic treatment. It wouldn't heal anything, only relieve his discomfort and help him get through the last couple of months before the pancreatic cancer killed him. Bella wasn't even sure he would last as much a month. With his recently increasing rate of relapse, it might just be a matter of weeks.

"Will Mike be doing it?"

"He will."

"OK, I'll try stop by tomorrow, Alice. I would like to see him."

"Yeah, I figured you would, Bella. Mike's got it all under control though. So you enjoy the rest of your vacation. I just wanted to let you know!"

"I appreciate it, Alice. Please keep me updated if anything happens, alright?"

"I will." Alice hung up, and Bella slipped the cell down into her purse again.

Even though Charles' relapse wasn't a big surprise, she became sad every time his health deteriorated. He was a patient _and_ a friend and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about seven months ago. Charles wasn't a young man anymore, but with his 57 years, he was still much too young to have such a severe disease. For Charles, Bella knew the cancer would kill him, and with the severity of symptoms, he wouldn't last for very long. All she could do was to be there for him, to ease his pain and drain the fluid from his abdomen when it became too extreme.

She had only known Charles Masen for two years. He was a wealthy man and among other things he owned the medical centre where she worked. He was the one who hired her when she needed to get away from Chicago. He knew about her background - that she had had a rough time before she came to Beaver Creek, and that she was a recovering drug addict. But he'd had faith in her and he never regretted hiring her since she started. They had become good friends and somehow Charles had subsumed the role of substitute father for her. Taking the place her father should have filled, but never did.

She still remembered the devastating day, seven months ago, when Charles came to her at the clinic, complaining about pain in his stomach. She had checked him over and felt the lump immediately when she palpated his abdomen. They ran the blood tests and Bella performed the ultrasound examination herself. There was no doubt. It was a pancreatic cancer, and there was no way to cure him.

A deep sigh escaped her lips and Edward noticed her frown. Observing the sudden change in her demeanor after the phone call, he didn't really know what to say. Bella was obviously lost in her own thoughts. He put his hand on her arm in a friendly gesture, to provide some comfort. "You okay?" he asked, afraid that he might be pushing her too much.

Realizing where she was, she shifted her attention back to the man beside her.

"Well...yeah. I'm fine. It's a friend of mine. He's sick and he's become worse. I was just told that he's been admitted to the hospital again. So I'm just a bit worried about how he's doing."

"I'm sorry to hear it." Bella was surprised by the intensity of the compassion in his voice. She looked up and met his eyes. They were caring and deep - and she had to force herself not to get lost in those depths.

"Don't worry. It's been going on for a while. I'm okay and he's in good hands." But his sympathy felt comforting, like a strong shoulder she could lean on.

Bella was cut short by a loud voice announcing that the flight for Denver now was ready to board and the gate attendant instructed the passengers to form a line.

"Ah...finally," Bella sighed, trying to lighten the mood by changing the subject. Edward got the hint and didn't ask more about her friend in the hospital. As they gathered their belongings and lined up, they continued chatting, but their light flirtation and bantering had gone, pushed away by the sad news.

They finally boarded the plane and were settled in their respective seats - nowhere near each other. Both disappointed, but neither of them voiced their regrets.

Once the wings were de-iced and they were airborne, the flight was, fortunately, completely lacking drama. Bella was seated in the back of the plane and once again she had picked up her scientific magazine. But her mind kept returning to thoughts of Charles' relapse.

She knew the worst part of his disease was still to come and she knew he would need all the support and help he could get. She was still mad at him for keeping his illness a secret. None of his family knew anything about the cancer and so far Bella hadn't managed to convince him to tell anyone - not even his wife.

_"No, I don't want her to worry about it," he had insisted. "It's hard enough that she's married to an old man; I don't want her to go through all of this sickness and misery with me. I want her to be young and carefree; I want her to enjoy her life". _

_It was a well-known secret that Charles' marriage to his much younger secretary three years ago had not become the fairytale he'd hoped for. Rumors swirled that she married him only for the money, but Bella knew they had been happy together for a while. _

_But things had slowly changed and during the last year; the couple had lived completely separate lives. The young wife resided in Chicago and was now the chairperson of one of the companies originally owned by Charles. He had been the chairman himself for many years - working from the ground up to become a multi-million dollar international real estate company. His company had expanded tremendously during the years and was now involved in many different sectors and investment projects. _

_But since he found out about the cancer, he had slowly handed over the responsibility to his wife and board-members, choosing to retire to their home in Beaver Creek. _

_He blamed it on the health - told her he had some benign connective tissue disease, and so far she didn't seem to doubt his explanations. She came to visit him once in a while, but the visits had become more and more infrequent. Even though Charles didn't talk about it, Bella knew he felt hurt and betrayed by her absence._

_"But Charles, maybe she would want to know. Maybe she would like to be here with you, support you and share these months with you," Bella had argued, once again trying to convince him to change his mind during one of his many consults at the clinic._

_"You know my wife as well as I do by now, Bella. She's not that kind of woman, and I would hate to see her pity me."_

_"So when are you going to tell her? You can't keep her in the dark forever, you know. At some point, you will have to tell her. She has a right to know the truth."_

_"I know, I know," he replied. "Soon, I promise!" _

That conversation occurred three months ago and to Bella's knowledge, Charles' wife was still in the dark. Bella decided it was time to bring it up with Charles again in the morning.

When the plane landed, Bella followed the crowd out through the hallways. The suitcases arrived to the baggage carousel with impressive speed, and Bella picked up her bag before heading to the passenger pick-up area. Subconsciously she glanced around for Edward, but he seemed to be lost in the crowd.

She was very aware that she never gave him an answer to his so-called "deal". But all her sad and depressing thoughts had actually helped her to reach a conclusion on the matter. She decided that she needed a little lightness and happiness. He seemed like a nice guy, not at all the type of man she used to mess around with. Maybe it was time to give up on her self-imposed celibacy and let herself venture into the dating game again.

_You can't hide out forever, girl!_ she chided herself, still scanning the area for the tall, attractive man. _I mean, what's the worst thing that could happen?_ she argued with herself.

_He could be a cheater or a womanizer - just looking for one night stand. But okay - if that's the case, he would be such a _hot_ one-night-stand. He would be worth it!_

Appalled by how this man had a special ability to weaken her usual high standards, she nevertheless kept searching the crowds.

_There!_ She finally caught a glimpse of the man. He was standing at the other end of the arriving passenger section, and he had evidently just spotted her too. He immediately perked up in a bright smile, which instantly did some very odd things to the pit of her stomach. She was thrilled to see that he picked up his suitcase and started walking in her direction.

But he didn't make it more than a few steps before someone suddenly called out for him, forcing him to come to a halt. As he turned around, a woman rushed up to him and threw herself into his arms.

Standing at the other end of the sidewalk, Bella witnessed how the woman snaked her arm around his neck, pulled him down to her and kissed him passionately on his lips.

Her heart dropped immediately. An odd mixture of disappointment, relief, and anger washed over her.

The man was already involved in a relationship!

And yet he had been flirting with her, asking her out on a date for heaven's sake!

It seemed like Bella was called back to ground zero with one single stroke. My God, she had only been a few seconds away from accepting a date with the man. He'd even made her settle for the idea of a one night stand!

As the woman withdrew from the man, Bella's mouth dropped to the floor. The woman had turned around, her face finally being revealed, and Bella recognized the woman as no one other than _Tanya Denali,_ the wife of Charles Masen.

With the speed of light Bella turned around and left the airport.


	4. Chapter 4

(BPOV)

Bella left the passenger pick-up area in a trance, feeling completely numb. It seemed like an unknown defense mechanism had kicked in, completely blocking out her conscious awareness. Thanks to her inner autopilot she managed to flee from the airport as her legs robotically found their way to her SUV in the car park. She needed to create some space between herself and the treacherous scene that she had just witnessed. The bigger the distance the better. And it wasn't until she drove out of the airport and hit interstate 70 until she finally began to digest what had just happened.

A boiling hodgepodge of coalesced feelings gushed through her stomach. Shock, sorrow, self-pity, despair…but definitely one feeling dominated this overwhelming mix of emotions: anger. And if those disturbing emotions weren't enough, she even felt a sting of something that maybe could be regarded as... jealousy? Her mind kept processing every single detail of the incident, and it felt like her brain was going to explode. She was experiencing a blend of emotions she never wanted to experience again—not after what she had been through the last two years.

Two years! That was the time she had spent building herself up again. Two years since she had left Chicago and fled to a simpler kind of life. And she'd done well. Pretty damned well! She had left behind her old crappy life with sad memories and bad habits, and learned to stand on her own two feet. Without the self destruction, the men, and the drugs, and without constantly chasing that high which she had come to depend on. For two long years she'd been in every sense 'on the wagon'. She hadn't touched alcohol, not to mention any harder drugs, and she had not so much as even flirted with one man. She had every good reason to believe in herself now. To trust that she finally was the one in charge of her life. And she'd been naive enough to believe that she maybe was ready to start living a little again.

Until today.

It only took a pair of green eyes, a well shaped body, and a little bit of kindness to pull her back down in her negative spiral of self-destructive feelings. She cursed herself for falling off the wagon. All of her achieved strength and control had somehow vanished like dew before the sun. In the space of only ten minutes she had dropped down her guard, which she had spent such a long time carefully constructing. A few flirtatious lines thrown her way, and immediately she found herself swooning with lust and weakness for this man, only to discover that he was just like the rest of them: not worth it! Not one single bit. He'd seemed so caring and sweet, like he was truthful and honest, but he had turned out to be no different from the rest of her earlier male acquaintances. And she had almost given herself to him for Christ's sake!

Almost.

She couldn't believe she'd been so close to falling back to her old bad habits. Getting involved with some womanizer again; yet another instance of believing she finally had met Mr. Right. But her questionable judgment of character was evidently just as lousy as ever.

She felt ashamed of herself…ashamed that even after two years of self-restraint she had not come any further. She had obviously been fooling herself. Regret, combined with waves of anger and self-destructive tendencies, washed over her when she realized that she had returned to ground zero. But she was also ashamed that despite of all the anger and resentment, she nevertheless still felt this little sting of jealousy deep down inside. A jealousy connected to the sickening vision of Tanya's lips crashing on his. Arrrgh...!

But there was no doubt that it was the discovery of Tanya's adultery which triggered her most intense emotional reactions this day. Her self-pity and shame were nothing compared to the staggering and overwhelming fury she felt building inside.

She couldn't remember ever feeling so simultaneously angry and sad before, and even though it was all on behalf of Charles, she felt just as hurt and deceived as if it had been herself who'd been betrayed. She knew Tanya and Charles' marriage wasn't the happiest and she probably shouldn't be so surprised about Tanya's deceit. But Charles had become a dear and close friend to Bella and he deserved so much better than this. So much better than her. It was beyond her beliefs how anyone could deceive this kind, gentle man, who cared even more for the wellbeing of his wife than for his own sick body.

The way he had taken her under his wing when she came to Beaver Creek had been truly amazing. She'd never felt so accepted or trusted in her whole life and he had contributed immensely to her 'rehabilitation' during those years. Not only had he given her a job—trusting her enough to let her work as a doctor again, doing what she loved the most—but had also provided her with a place to live, offering her a rental cabin close by the clinic. But most importantly he had slowly become a substitute father, taking the spot her father had never filled. And if felt comforting finally to have a father figure in her life, after all this time.

He had performed all the paternal duties she had always missed from her father. He was the one who called her once in a while, just to see how she was doing; how she was holding on; if she needed any help. He made sure that she wasn't allowed to sink back down into solitude and dwell on her self-pity. He was the one who realized that the lonely weekends didn't work for her, and he got her the job at the ski resort. He was there on her birthday. He listened to her, and he sensed when she needed some space. And it seemed that as much as he had become her substitute father, she had just as much become his substitute daughter. The daughter he had never had but had longed for his entire life.

Bella knew that her knowledge about Charles's incurable disease didn't make it any easier for her to accept the situation. Even though she was very well aware that Tanya didn't know about the cancer, it just seemed too cruel. You don't kick a man who is already down!

"Damn," she swore out loud while smacking the wheel with anger to let out some steam, but accidentally hitting her hand harder than intended. "Ouch..." she groaned as tears prickled the back of her eyes.

The sudden pain brought her attention back to the road again, and she was surprised to find that she had already reached Genesee Parks, about a ninety-minute drive from the airport. The autopilot fortunately still worked perfectly. Luckily enough.

While continuing the two hour drive, she once again let her mind return to thoughts of betrayal.

What was she supposed to do now? The whole damned situation had put her in a terrible dilemma. She was quite sure Tanya had not seen her, so it was totally up to her to decide what to do with the information. Information she didn't want to have in the first place. Or did she?

Should she tell Charles?

Being a close friend she felt obliged to tell him the truth. Wouldn't she want to know herself if it was her? If she didn't share what she had seen, it would be like feeding him a lie. She wouldn't be able to look him in the face if she didn't tell him, a thought that sent shivers up and down her spine. She would be joining in on the fraud. She wouldn't be a part of that. She couldn't.

But things weren't really that easy. Considering Charles' bad condition, she wasn't sure how he would react. His disease changed everything and she cared for his physical wellbeing as much as his emotional happiness. He wasn't a strong man anymore, and Bella was afraid that he would probably be dead in a few weeks time anyway. Why ruin the man's last few weeks on earth with the disturbing and hurtful news about his cheating wife? She couldn't see the purpose of that either. Her mind kept working on the problem during the rest of the drive, but she still hadn't reached a conclusion when she finally arrived at her home. There was no easy answer to this question. No right thing to do. No matter what she did, she felt like she was letting him down and he would ultimately end up hurt.

*******

(EPOV)

"This day's weird", Edward mused when Tanya's arms hugged him tightly.

In just two hours he had experienced, to his own big surprise, unprovoked hugs and kisses from two different young and very attractive women. He'd definitely enjoyed the first encounter the best, though most men in his position would be thrilled by the second one as well. But Tanya's staggering, enthusiastic welcome had been anything but pleasurable to Edward. Actually it just pissed him off, and it once again reminded him of the difficult position he found himself in concerning this job.

As Tanya let go of him, he hastily turned around to check if his rescuing angel from O'Hare had witnessed the kiss. But Bella had already turned away - now on her way out of the arrival area. Edward had no doubts, she had seen it all, and his heart dropped to the ground when realizing how the incident must have appeared to her. Bella somehow had seemed different, and he had felt a strong desire to get to know this compelling woman. But after Tanya's little performance, he was afraid he had lost his chances with the goddess.

"Edward! There you are!" Tanya's sharp voice brought his attention back to woman in front of him.

Tanya acted like her hug and kiss were part of the most natural greeting in the world, totally neglecting to acknowledge Edward's rejection a few months ago. She was dressed in a daring, tight-fitting red dress, showing off her curves and not leaving much to the imagination. A pair of high stilettos, a questionable fashionable choice in the dead of winter, made her about four inches taller. Her makeup was quite heavy, drawing out her classical facial features and underlining her beauty. She was stunning—and she knew it. Looking like she was ready for a hot date, she appeared slightly overdressed, considering the surroundings. But she looked like a woman on a mission.

"Hello Tanya," he answered flatly, not really sure how to react. "That was some welcome". Should he address the kiss as inappropriate straight away or should he let it slide and see what happened?

"Yeah, sorry. I got carried away for a second!" she responded, not appearing apologetic in the slightest. "You're just looking too handsome for a girl to resist, you know!" Her eyes were already sparkling with flirtation, a twinkle he didn't like at all.

"Um..." He decided to let the comment slide. "Surprised to see you here. I thought I wouldn't see you until tomorrow".

Tanya sent him a seductive smile. "I came in on a plane from LA an hour ago. Had some business there I needed to take care of. And since I heard your plane was coming in, I thought I might as well wait, and offer you a lift to Beaver Creek".

"How nice of you," Edward politely replied, not really sounding as thankful as the words implied.

Tanya didn't seem to notice his reluctance and continued: "I was thrilled to hear you accepted the job, Edward. After our last meeting I was not really sure if you would," she smirked with a smile on her lips. She made it sound like it had been her own little personal challenge.

"How could 'Newton, Crowley and Dwyer'turn down such a tempting offer, Tanya? You must know the project is a big one for our firm."

"I know, dear," she continued, confessing, "That was the intention. It had to be, otherwise I'm not sure you would be here now."

Edward sent her a rather displeased glance. He didn't like the fact that Tanya could control him and his firm so easily.

Sensing that the conversation had started out all wrong, Tanya changed her tactics. "Listen, Edward. That came out wrong. Let me try again." She cleared her voice, for the first time appearing just a little unsure of herself. "I know our last meeting didn't turn out the best and I would like you to give me a chance to make it right. When I first met you, I thought we really had great chemistry, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my marriage from the beginning. That was wrong of me."

Edward didn't say anything, but chose just to hear her out.

"I want you to know that I have no romantic expectations of you in connection with this job, and I'm well aware of the difficult situation you might find yourself in. But I just hope we can be friends, and that you will give me a chance to get to know you. I hoped that working together on this project would be a great opportunity to do that."

Edward sent her a suspicious glance. "So is that why our firm was given the offer? To give you an opportunity to have fresh start with me?"

Hesitating for a second, she replied, "Let's just say that it's a chance for me to try to make it up to you." Tanya held her breath awaiting his response.

It seemed like she came with a peace offering, providing him with an opportunity to do his job without compromising his ethical standards. But even though she tried to make it sound like she was doing him a favor—releasing him of any perceived pressure—Edward had no doubts that she still had the upper hand. Was she playing a game…or was she sincere in her promises?

A lot was still at stake for Edward and his firm, so no matter what, forging ahead would definitely be like walking a tight-rope. He still had to make sure she was happy, and he didn't expect being turned down for the second time would be easy for her to swallow. He had no reason to trust her, but how could he turn down her peace offering? Maybe playing the game with her was the best decision; at least for now. At the moment it definitely appeared as his only option. And maybe it could work. It had to work.

"OK, Tanya. That's fair enough. Let's be friends," he agreed reluctantly, hoping he wouldn't regret it later. He still had an aching feeling in the stomach about the whole thing.

"Thanks Edward. I'm sure I won't disappoint you." A triumphant smile appeared on her lips. It was obvious that she believed she'd won the first round, sensing that he fell for her little story. _Men are so easy_, she thought. Put on the right dress and flash them a brilliant smile and they are like putty in your hands! "Now come on. Let's go to my car."

She led the way through the arrivals lounge and straight into the multi-storey car park connected to the airport. A few minutes later they arrived at brand new red Porsche 911, which Tanya proudly presented for him as her 'new baby'.

"I only bought it two weeks ago. It was just standing there at my usual car dealer, calling out for me; sooo beautiful. I just had to buy it!"

"Wow. That's quite a car," Edward observed appreciatively. He had to admit that the car was impressive. He had always been interested in design and structure. How things fit together. It fascinated him how an object performing a function could also be a work of art. And the Porsche was a perfect example of such a union. He walked around the car, eyeing the curves of the car as if it were a woman. Tanya watched him with a rather content smile on her lips, enjoying that she had managed to impress him so easily. She only wished that she herself had been the subject of his admiring eyes.

"I really wasn't planning on buying a car that day, but how can you resist a beauty like this?" She opened the trunk. "Throw in your bag."

After having stuffed away his suitcase, Edward slipped into the passenger seat next to Tanya. "The interior is even smoother," he commented with an admiring tone, leaning back into the comfortable leather seat. "You often buy cars spontaneously like this?" he asked, wondering how anyone could afford buying something so expensive on an impulse.

"Just once in a while," she answered with a smug grin, thinking about Charles' MasterCard in her designer purse.

As they drove out of the car park and into the winter night, he scanned the area once more, hoping to catch a glimpse of his rescuer. But Bella was nowhere to be seen and his disappointment was tangible. "At least I know where she works!" he told himself optimistically, still hoping his plan could work out.

Tanya was driving the car, and it was obvious that she enjoyed using all of the horsepower the engine had to offer, totally neglecting the speed limits. Considering the icy roads Edward didn't feel too comfortable, but he had to concede that she controlled the car in an impressive way. It wasn't long until they hit the highway and since it was rather late in the evening, there fortunately wasn't much traffic.

"So Tanya, how have you been?" Edward asked, trying to make light conversation. He shouldn't have worried though. Tanya was happy to do the talking. "I've been wonderful!" she claimed with an eager voice. "Actually I've been working non-stop lately. This project has got me so excited!"

"Well, that's nice," Edward politely replied.

"So you can expect to have some busy days ahead of you. My co-workers say they can't keep up with me lately," she stated haughtily while smirking.

"But I hope to have some time for socializing a bit now, when I get home. Think we need to have some fun around in Beaver Creek. That place is usually so boring, so I think we'll have to pep it up a little. I was considering throwing a dinner party one evening! I hope you'll join us, Edward."

"A party..? Um..." Edward didn't get to answer completely before she went on.

"But we'll get back to that. I need to talk to Charles about it first. He hasn't been very sociable lately for some reason. I'll let you know,though."

An annoyed facial expression appeared on her rather beautiful features for a moment, but she quickly brushed it off, and replaced it with an ingratiating smile.

"But enough about that; let me share my plans with you." She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "I've been looking so much forward to telling you about this project," she informed him breathily. "What I want to do is not just build an ordinary hotel. No, I want to create something much grander than that. Something that's going to change Beaver Creek forever," she murmured with a dreamy, dramatic tone. "It's going to be called 'Beaver Creek Ski Resort and Spa', and it's going to be huge!"

As they began the two hour drive, she launched into a long speech about all of her expectations and dreams for the project. "I know that you and your firm have only heard about the hotel part so far. But during the past week, I've realized that this was going to be so much bigger. I still want the hotel, but we need to build condos and cabins as well, creating a vacation-resort offering the perfect surroundings for both summer and winter recreation."

"Oh....wow...." Edward was stunned. This was definitely news. This project was already a coup as it was, but the new expansion only made it even more attractive.

"Beaver Creek is, as you probably know, part of Vail ski resort, which is the largest skiing resort in the States. With this location, we already have the customers waiting in line, making all of this a pretty safe investment. So I figured we might as well go big from the start." Edward could only nod his head in agreement, while she continued telling him her grandiose plans.

She went on explaining about the different accommodations. She wanted a big, eight-floor hotel, with rooms in five different designs, from standard rooms all the way to honeymoon and presidential suites. As part of the hotel she planned to have a business center suitable for conventions and courses, with all of the multimedia technology required for such a facility. This addition would be expensive, but it would provide them with customers in the off-season. In addition to the hotel, there was going to be three blocks of condos, located in proximity to the chair lifts. The condos would be rather small, primarily meant for young skiers maintaining a rather low budget. These units would contain the basic amenities, but to cater to the target customer group, it was important to keep the expenses down. Finally she wanted to build about fifty cabins in different shapes and sizes. From studios to apartments, with a small or large kitchenettes. These were primarily meant for families on vacations, but they could also be suitable for smaller groups, like business travelers, etc...

It all came gushing out of her—almost like she'd prepared a speech which she'd been dying to deliver. She talked non-stop, extremely eager to fill him in on the details, and it was obvious that she was tremendously excited about the whole thing. Her impassioned presentation erased some of Edward's suspicions that this project was just a way to win him back.

She went on about the location of the hotel. There were several possibilities and she'd planned to take him on a tour on the sites the following day for him to check them out. But it was pivotal that they made sure the hotel would have a 'ski-in/ski-out' location. She told him about all of her plans for the ski classes she wanted to run from the hotel. There was no doubt it was still the skiing that would be the major attraction and activity, so it was extremely important that the ski access was excellent.

When she mentioned 'ski instructors' Edward tuned her out, and his mind drifted off to a specific ski instructor with large brown eyes and long silky auburn curls...he definitely wouldn't mind taking a few lessons with her. It was easy to imagine the breathtaking girl dancing down the slopes with rhythmic, soft turns on the powdery snow. What a sight! His body reacted almost instinctively to those sexy thoughts and he had to force his attention back on the project and the woman sitting next to him.

Tanya's pool of ideas seemed inexhaustible, and Edward couldn't find a way to interrupt her. She seemed unaware that he had zoned out a while ago. Occasionally he had a chance to slip in a question, but the rest of the time she was so excited that she didn't leave room for any interruptions. It was obvious she had put a lot of thought into her ideas, and Edward was actually impressed by her knowledge and commitment to the project.

But he was surprised by her long torrent of words, and started wondering if maybe she wasn't as calm and in control as she wanted to appear? Was she nervous? Maybe not so sure about her herself as he had believed? Actually he found the thought soothing. Maybe he would have a say in this after all.

*******

After two hours they finally arrived in Beaver Creek. Even though he already knew it wasn't a booming metropolis, he was still surprised about how small the town was. It would have been more appropriate to call it a village. It was past 1:00 a.m. and the streets were completely empty. Edward just wanted to get to his hotel room as fast as possible. The journey had been long and he needed to rest his brain and get some sleep. As Tanya stopped the Porsche in front of the small local hotel, she hesitantly cleared her throat.

"Sorry about the long speech, Edward. I have a tendency to get too excited, and to go on for too long when I'm on a roll. But I just wanted you to know about all of my ideas, and then I hope we'll be able to work on this together. I'm looking forward to hearing about your thoughts and suggestions about the project as well."

"It's ok. I was impressed by all of your plans. They really are ambitious." He reached for the door handle to get out of the car.

"Uh...one more thing, Edward." Tanya suddenly seemed quite insecure, leading Edward to come to a halt. "That night, two months ago...I know I was out of line, and I just want to apologize for that. I realize I must have sounded rather spoiled and self-centered that evening, but I must admit that it was a new experience for me being turned down. For the last few years I've practically gotten anything I've wanted. So it was probably healthy for me to hear a 'no' for once."

Edward was impressed by her honesty.

Before she continued, she turned to him in her seat, making sure he looked at her. "But I also want you to know that it wouldn't have been like cheating on my husband, if we had been together. Charles and I have an open relationship, where both of us have other partners. We don't talk much about it. I don't see the point in hearing the details about each other's affairs. But Charles has a mistress of his own. And he knows about my other lovers too." Edward noticed a hint of bitterness in her voice, when she mentioned the other woman. It didn't seem like the matter was as easy for her as she would like it to be. To his surprise he suddenly felt sorry for her.

"He told you about his mistress?" he kindly asked.

"No, he didn't have to," she replied, still sounding a bit hurt. "I found out myself." Her focus all of a sudden zoomed out to some unknown inner scenery.

"Doesn't sound like you're ok with that arrangement of yours?" Edward questioned hesitantly.

Tanya's attention slipped back to Edward again. "Oh...I'm ok. It hurt a bit in the beginning, but now I'm all good. I actually enjoy being free again."

"Hmm..." Edward wasn't convinced, but decided to let it slide. "Well, thanks for telling me, Tanya." Even though he still had no intentions of getting into a relationship with the woman next to him, he was happy she had told him. He felt relieved that she'd been honest with him, and considering Tanya's open marriage, he wasn't so angry with her anymore. "Well, it's late; I'd better get inside and check in."

"Yeah. Good night, Edward. I'll see you tomorrow then. Nine o'clock at my office, ok?"

"Ok, Tanya. Night! Nine o'clock tomorrow," he confirmed and got out of the car.

A deep sigh escaped his lips as he hurried inside to the hotel lobby. For the first time in weeks he felt he could lower his shoulders. He had survived his first encounter with Tanya.

But as Edward walked into the hotel, Tanya was still watching him from the car. Her eyes followed every single one of his moves, and once again she admired the attractive man. It was obvious he didn't realize how handsome he was. All of her prior insecurity and hesitation rapidly vanished, replaced by a serene expression of a lioness watching her prey. A smug smile was dancing across her lips.

"Not bad Tanya!" she congratulated herself. "I think you just won the second round as well."

Before she started the engine again, she picked up her cell and pushed one of the speed dial numbers. The line was answered immediately.

"Hello," she heard a deep male voice.

"Hey baby. I'm on my way over."

"Good. You're not expected at home?"

"No, not until tomorrow. So you'd better have that bed warm for me…"

**Chapter end notes:**

This is my first fic in this fandom, and I'm having all sorts of insecurities posting it. I've written the first few chapters, and decided to just post it and see what happens. Please write me a line to tell me if I should continue... Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author notes:**

Hey all!!

So here's the next chappie.

This one has for some reason been stubborn with me, and didn't turn out like I had imagined. But Jen (aka pbswimmer) gave me some great help, so I hope it will be okay. Thanks Jensy! You rock!

Some of you have been a little confused that there's a _Charlie_ Swan and a _Charles_ Masen in this fic. I'm sorry if the similar names have confused you. I was thinking of a specific person -named Charles- when I wrote Charles' character, and it just felt so natural to stick to the real name in the ficcy. I can see now that this might not have been the smartest move... Sorry about that, people. I hope you'll be able to keep these two gentlemen apart despite the similar names.

This chapter is all Bella. But I promise; we'll get back to Edward in the next update.

Here you go:

-------------------------------

**Chapter 5:**

It was freezing cold -about 14 F- but the morning scenery was absolutely stunning; just like a post card. As usual the sunrise painted the cloudless sky in an amazing riot of colours from deep red to orange, purple and pink, and a thick layer of glittering powdery snow covered the landscape. The snow lay heavily on the trees, weighing down the branches towards the ground, and the white blanket somehow smoothed out the roughness of the surroundings, adding gentle, round contours to the otherwise dramatic countryside.

She'd never understood why, but the colours of the sky appeared to posses some supernatural intensity in this wintery scene, giving her a feeling of being transferred to another world. The silence was deafening this morning; the only sounds she could hear were occasional bird calls and the crackling from her own footsteps in the snow. Not even 8.00 a.m., it was still early but she had been out walking for an hour already.

She hadn't slept much that night. The distressing images from the previous evening kept looping through her mind, making it difficult for her to find rest. Even though she tried, she couldn't figure out how to put her worries on hold, and when she finally fell asleep, strange dreams full of memories from her past mixed with images of _that_ woman kissing _that_ man kept haunting her. In her dreams they didn't stop with the kiss. Instead they progressed quickly to ripping off clothes; shoving them aside. Their exploring hands became more intimate and daring, - and eventually Bella saw appalling flashes of the two of them coupling. Her rage once again flared up at the image. Even in her dreams, the feeling of betrayal was connected not only to Charles but also to herself, with the infuriating sensation that the man in the image was cheating on _her_.

When dawn had finally broken and she had woken up, she didn't feel one bit refreshed and eventually gave up on getting any more sleep. To clear her mind and seek some distance from her chaotic nightmares, she had dressed warmly and set out on a long walk in the beautiful winter wonderland surrounding her cabin. It was a blessing to be back in her safe environs, supported by the cold morning air. These walks always had a calming and refreshing effect on her; stealing away from the real world into the solitude dominating the wilderness. This was where she found peace and where she found strength to deal with both past and present problems. It sometimes crossed her mind that her earlier addictions had been replaced by a new addiction to the soothing peace and calmness she experienced every time she came out here. To her great relief the magic worked even today.

After ninety minutes, when she finally caught sight of her cabin again, her cheeks were blushing red from the cold, bestowing a warm glow to her natural beauty. The inner turmoil had vanished, replaced by her usual equilibrium.

She still couldn't believe how lucky she was to get to live in this beautiful place. The cabin was idyllically situated just outside of town on the shore of Beaver Lake, providing her with perfect access to the hiking trails of Vail Valley. Though other parts of the area were usually crowded with tourists, this gem of unspoiled nature was yet to be discovered by the money-grubbers.

The cabin was another one of Charles' amazing favours to her. A few weeks after she'd started at the clinic, he'd realized that she still was staying at the local hotel. It hadn't been as easy as she had imagined finding an apartment and she was becoming increasingly frustrated by not being able to settle down. Within two hours he'd pulled some strings and rustled up this beautiful cabin, which he usually rented out to his private guests. The cabin had surpassed even her wildest dreams for a home. Though it wasn't new, it had been renovated recently, containing all the modern amenities along with a tastefully decorated interior. But what had excited her even more was the peaceful and shielded location giving her the undisturbed tranquility she had initially sought in Colorado. Two years later, this little house had now become her home.

As she entered the cabin and realized it was almost 8.30 a.m., she figured she might as well get on with her plans for the day. After a quick shower, she hastily shoveled in some breakfast and coffee and finally made her way out to the car. With the cabin located just outside of Beaver Creek she arrived at the clinic just a few minutes later.

The clinic wasn't very big, but with a population of only five-thousand inhabitants of Beaver Creek, it did not need to be large. But this was another one of Charles' investments projects, and since Beaver Creek was his own hometown he had preferred to build it on a grand scale, not worrying about what was actually profitable. And since he had become sick himself, he definitely hadn't regretted the investment.

Alice was at the front desk at the nurse's station as Bella entered the building. The slim, almost pixie-like young woman, who had become a good friend to Bella during the last couple of years, brightened up with a smile when she recognized her friend.

"Wow, you're up early. At least you could let yourself sleep in during your holidays." The comment was typical. Alice always had an eye out for Bella's well-being.

"Hi Alice," Bella replied and embraced her friend tightly. "I thought you knew me by now! I can't sleep late. Besides I had to clear my mind a little this morning, so I took a long walk."

A frown appeared on Alice's face. She knew about Bella's habit of walking when she was feeling down. "So how was the trip to Chicago?" she asked, sensing that Bella had had another disappointing encounter with her father.

The question startled Bella. To her own surprise it suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't given her father a single thought since yesterday! This was weird, considering the events leading to her very recent flight from the windy city. She had evidently been too preoccupied with other thoughts…with other men.

But as the usual troublesome conflict with her father returned to her, she sighed deeply. "It was the same, Alice. I don't know why I keep pretending dad and I can make this work." The two friends had spent many evenings discussing Bella's frustrating relationship with her dad, and Alice knew Bella's hopelessness all too well.

"It's because you love him, sweetie," Alice answered kindly, squeezing Bella's shoulder as she rose from her chair. She felt truly sorry for her friend.

It was quiet in the clinic this morning, and Alice was the only one seated at the nurse's station at the moment. But to have some privacy the two women entered the staff-room in the back, where they both grabbed a fresh cup of coffee. Deciding not to go further into the sore subject of Bella's father, Alice went on, "How late did you get home last night?"

"It was about 1.00 a.m., so it wasn't that bad."

"And how was the journey?" Alice inqured with a curious glance at Bella, instantly noticing a sudden slight flush appearing on Bella's cheeks. She hadn't forgotten Bella's mysterious comments on the phone last night.

"It was okay," Bella answered evasively, pretending she didn't know what Alice was hinting at. But a small flutter at the corner of her mouth betrayed her. Alice instinctively suspected it somehow involved a man and was dying to be let in on the story.

"Spit it out, girl! You might as well tell me straight away. I'm not letting you off the hook until you tell me everything!"

Bella smiled and giggled resignedly. "It was nothing - really. I was just talking to this movie-star looking guy, when you called me. He definitely knew how to charm a woman."

"Wow, you flirted with a man?" Alice excitedly asked, pleased to hear that Bella for once had allowed herself to be charmed by a guy.

"Yeah, you would have been very proud of me," Bella grinned. During the last couple of months it had been Alice's personal goal to get Bella to see the importance of starting to socialize and date again.

"Good girl!" Alice mentally high-fived herself. "So tell me all the dirty details! What did he look like? What did he say?"

"No need to get too excited, hun. He turned out to be another cheater, so I learned my lesson once more".

Alice's excited smile dropped immediately. "Oh...what happened?"

"Well, the guy had invited me out, and I was actually just about to accept the invitation as his...erm... girlfriend arrived. He was _so_ busted!" For a second Bella was tempted to share her shocking discovery of Tanya's adultery, but she decided to keep it to herself. Even though she would have valued Alice's opinion on the difficult question of what to do with the information, she resolved to keep mum on the issue. Charles' cuckolded status was nothing the world needed to know.

"Too bad." Alice was obviously disappointed; very well aware this was a major setback for Bella. "But I'm glad to hear you were tempted though. You still need to come out of your shell, girl!"

Before Alice had a chance to push the issue any further, Bella changed the subject."Tell me about Charles."

Accepting that the dating subject was closed for now, Alice answered. "Well, he's a bit better this morning. Seems the morphine is doing him some good. We haven't done the ascites-drainage yet, but I just got the X-ray's back. Mike hasn't even had time to check them out."

"Okay, let me have a look." Bella grabbed the X-rays from the counter and quickly slid them onto the light board mounted on the wall. She was worried there would be fluid in the lungs as well, indicating another progression of the disease. Having fluid in the belly was bad enough, but accumulating recurrent fluid in the lungs would cause a slow, drowning death, which she didn't wish for anyone. She was happy to see that the lungs still seemed to be clear with no obvious signs of pleural exudation.

"And how's his breathing today?"

"It's the same. A bit accelerated, but his colour is fine and the saturation was 94% this morning."

"Good..." Still examining the X-rays, she heard the door open, and a boyish looking man in a doctor's coat entered the room.

"Ahh…you're back Bella," he said, lightening up in a content smile. She looked over at her colleague Mike, one of a handful of doctors working at the clinic. "I thought you wouldn't be home until next week." To Bella's surprise he almost appeared relieved to see her.

"Hi Mike. Yes, I shortened my stay in Chicago by a few days." She didn't feel like elaborating on her reason for ending the trip early. Although Mike was usually polite towards her, they had never shared any sort of collegial chemistry between them. She didn't doubt his professional qualifications as a doctor, but he had always appeared a bit too shallow and arrogant for Bella's liking. Actually she had often wondered why the man had become a doctor in the first place. She had never gotten the impression that he really cared about the patients.

"Did you have a good vacation?" he politely asked. Bella confirmed with a nod.

Mike suddenly became aware of the X-rays, which she was still studying. He slipped over next to her and leaned over her shoulder. "Aahh…I see you've already taken over your patient's care again. I think Charles will be very pleased to see you're back."

Before Bella had a chance to respond, Alice almost indignantly interfered: "Bella's still on vacation, so she's not working today and…"

"It's okay, Alice". This time it was Bella, who interrupted; "I would be happy to take care of Charles." Outside of Mike's view, Bella put a calming hand on Alice's arm. Bella knew all too well that the nurse couldn't stand Dr. Mike Newton, and she usually did very little to hide it. _He's an arrogant pig!_ Alice used to seethe in a scathing tone, or _Such a narcissist!_ Bella actually didn't disagree, but she tried to be more moderate in her own comments.

Alice definitely wasn't pleased about Bella's offer, but had to accept. Mike seemed to be very happy though. "Then that's settled. I'm sure you can fill her in on the details, Alice," Mike called out and hastily left the room.

"_Bastard!_" Alice hissed as soon as the door had closed. "That man is always cutting the corners! You shouldn't let him shove his work onto your lap, Bella. _You're_ still on vacation. He's the one on call today!"

"I know, sweetie, but Charles is _my _patient, and I'm actually glad that I'm back so he doesn't have to deal any more with Mike. _And_ I don't have any particular plans for the day, anyway."

Alice sent her friend another disapproving glance. "I know I sound like a broken record, but you work too hard, girl. You need to get out, hang out with your friends more. And just to let you know; I haven't given up on that dating issue with you yet!"

Bella picked up her coffee cup again, stalling a bit. "Alice, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. I've had some bad luck when it comes to relationships, so I'm still playing it safe here."

Alice was surprised by this revelation. Even though the two of them were quite close friends, Bella _never_ talked about her earlier relationships. "You had bad luck or you had bad boys?"

Bella hesitated for a moment and then offered with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "I think I managed to have a little of both?" Even though she usually avoided the issue, she needed to make Alice understand so that hopefully, she would let it go. "Yeah, you're right; I don't tend to go for the nice boys. I like the ones with the deep-seated emotional issues I can internalize and make my own. And these kinds of relationships rarely work out. It's really kind of sick." She shrugged her shoulders a bit, trying not to appear too affected.

"So I guess Mike could be your kind of guy then?"

Both of them burst out in laughter. "Oh...come on Alice. Don't insult me!"

"Didn't you just say you were attracted to the ones with personal issues?" Alice teased.

"Hmm...personal issues - not _personality_ issues!"

Alice was still giggling. "I know; just kidding. But you know, people are wondering. Single doctor-girl meets single doctor-boy. To them it looks like the perfect couple!"

"Yes, I guess it would be a big happening here in Beaver Creek!" Bella giggled.

"I'm sure it would" A sudden beep resonated from the loudspeaker on the wall, drawing Alice's attention. "Okay, Bella. I need to go check on Mr. Summonds now, but I'll join you in Charles' room shortly to help you with the ascites-drainage, okay?"

"Thanks," Bella answered, and left the room to go get her white coat.

*************

Charles was sleeping when she entered his room. He looked peaceful and actually better than she had anticipated. He was pale, but not _that_ pale, and even though he had lost some weight, he didn't look too scrawny. His dark grey hair was meticulously combed, and except for the trimmed mustache he was clean shaven. Meeting the man on the street, you would never have suspected him to have terminal cancer. The only signs something was wrong were the distended belly and the forced, superficial breathing. But as there didn't seem to be any fluid in the lungs, Bella knew the breathing would normalize as soon as the pressure from the belly was gone, allowing the lungs to expand fully again.

After closing the door, she approached her patient and picked up the case sheet at the foot of the bed. The noise must have woken him up; he slowly stirred and finally opened his eyes. Noticing that it was Bella standing there he brightened up in a tired smile.

"Bella. You're back!" She looked up from the sheet.

"Hey Charles," she greeted him with a warm, yet sad smile. "Yes, I got home last night. Alice told me you were admitted again. I'm sorry I woke you up."

Before Bella had a chance to go on about his current state, he bluntly asked, "So how was it seeing your father in Chicago?"

She hesitated a moment before she answered. "Huh...it was the same, Charles. Nothing new to report." She wasn't happy to tell Charles about her last disappointing encounter with her dad, since he had plenty to worry about himself. However, it warmed her heart that he was thinking of her. His thoughtfulness contrasted sharply to her father's apparent lack of interest.

"I'm so sorry," he dejectedly murmured, and she didn't doubt a second that he meant it with all his heart.

"Don't worry Charles. I'm okay now and happy to back," she replied, plastering a fake smile on her lips, shifting focus back to the present time and situation. "But I'm sorry to see _you're_ in here so quickly again".

"Me too," he replied. "But I'm feeling good this morning, so if you guys would be kind enough to relieve the pressure from my poor stomach, so I can get out of here - today please." He was kind and cheerful as always, but she knew that he meant it when he said he wanted to go home.

"What's the hurry, Charles? It would do you good to be here for a few days."

"Tanya is coming home and I haven't seen her in three weeks. So I want to be there for her." He smiled.

Bella's heart dropped the second he mentioned his wife. The revelation from the night before once again brushed over her and she felt an ache in her stomach; a feeling of pity for her friend. She still hadn't decided what to do and needed to buy herself some time.

"Ah...yeah. I caught a brief glimpse of her in the airport last night," she stated - avoiding meeting his eyes.

Charles was obviously surprised. "Last night..?" he repeated and sent her an inquiring glance. She regretted it the second her words slipped from her lips, but it was too late. Still looking away she confirmed with a slight nod. Her sudden evasiveness did not go unnoticed to Charles. It was obvious she was holding something back.

"Okay," he replied quietly without any other comments.

Still avoiding the subject Bella decided to address another point on her agenda... first.

"You know, Charles, wives _are _allowed to visit their husbands in the clinic. She could come visit you here!" Knowing very well that Tanya still didn't know about the disease, Bella sensed that she was crossing into difficult territory.

"Of course, Bella. But we're much more comfortable at home..."

Deciding to push him a little further, Bella took a deep breath. "You still haven't told Tanya have you?"

Charles sighed deeply. Now it was _him_ avoiding _her_ eyes. He didn't answer.

"Charles, you need to tell her!" Bella pleaded. "She's your wife. She has a right to know about this, and you shouldn't be going through all of this on your own."

_God, she hated this!_ It seemed completely absurd for her to be advocating for Tanya's rights, knowing that the woman was unfaithful to her loving husband. But Charles needed the support of his wife.

"I'm not alone," Charles said once again avoiding the subject about Tanya. "I got you and Alice and…"

Listening to his voice trail off, Bella butted in. "Come on, Charles. You know what I mean. Why won't you tell her? Would you rather that she didn't find out until after...erm...it's to late? I don't think that would make it any easier for her."

He hesitated for moment, internally wavering about whether or not to fill in Bella. It was obvious that he was giving the subject a great deal of thought. Coming to a conclusion he finally told her, "Actually…I think it would."

"Huh?" Bella responded, surprised. _He surely couldn't mean that?_

"You see, things are much more complicated than you know."

Bella sat down and stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to go on.

"Tanya and I had a good marriage the first couple of years, but things have changed during the last year. During the last twelve months we've sort of 'grown apart', and now we lead quite separate lives. You know I've always been concerned about Tanya marrying an old man like me. Thinking she'd deserved a young and vital man, who would be by her side for many many years to come. I simply became too old for her, Bella! And too tired. I couldn't keep up with her speed and her plans. So I kind of withdrew. I'm afraid I wasn't the best of husbands."

"No wonder you couldn't keep up with her, Charles. You were sick! You can't blame this on yourself!" But he raised his hand, urging her to allow him to proceed.

"And when I found out about my cancer, I realized that Tanya has to move on. She has to let go of me. She's young and healthy, and I want her to enjoy her life. Not be sitting around with a weak and pathetic old husband; waiting for him to die."

Bella once again interrupted: "There's nothing pathetic about you. I have rarely seen anybody stand up to his illness with such pride, like you have, Charles."

"But that doesn't change the fact that I'm still dying, Bella. You know it and I know it. But to be honest, I _don't_ want Tanya to know."

Once again he hesitated for a moment, obviously unsure of how much to say.

"And Tanya _has_ moved on, Bella. I'm not really sure how far she's come, but it definitely seems like she's let go of me already. I know she's seeing other men, and I've come to the conclusion that it's a _good _thing. I don't want her to go through all of this misery with me."

The look on Charles face was heartbreaking. Even though his mind tried to convince himself that her adultery was a good thing, it obviously didn't appear like his heart had reached this conclusion as well.

"Even though it hurts to know she's seeing other men, I've come to think that it's actually for the best. I want her to be happy and I want her to be able to move on with her life. You see, Bella, the weird thing is that even though things haven't been good between Tanya and me for some time, I still love her - more than anything. And I just want her to be happy."

Bella was stunned. The depths of his love for his young wife was impressive, and even though she didn't believe that Tanya deserved it in any way, she was overwhelmed by Charles' unfathomable love for her. She couldn't imagine how it would feel to be loved by someone that way!

Charles continued: "Bella, tell me...when you saw Tanya at the airport last night...She wasn't alone, was she?"

Bella sighed deeply and looked into Charles sad, warm eyes. _Oh, how she hated this!_ He didn't need to know about this. But she knew that she couldn't tell him anything but the truth. "No, she wasn't alone," she answered silently. She felt tears tickling behind her eyelids.

"I figured so," he continued, not the least surprised. "You see - she called this morning and told me she wouldn't be home until this afternoon. So I guess she's been with him last night."

Once again flashes of Tanya and Edward popped into her mind. Oh yes...there was no doubt in her mind; Tanya had been with Edward. A tendril of jealousy uncontrollably worked its way up her spine.

"I'm _so _sorry," she replied. She wasn't quite sure what to do or say. The whole situation seemed too miserable and sad. "You don't deserve this, Charles. This is so unfair. And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about them straight away. But to be honest, I couldn't make up my mind if it would do you any good to know. This is definitely not the kind of news you need at the moment." She hated making excuses for herself, but he needed to know why she had hesitated.

But to Bella's big surprise he suddenly chuckled a little: "You're right about that, my girl. But this is actually old news…so I can deal with it!" he announced with a brave smile.

"So have you confronted her with it?" She could feel a rage towards Tanya - and Edward - boiling inside.

"About her adultery...? No, why should I?" he countered. "I want her to keep on with it. I want her to let go of me."

She couldn't believe how anybody could be so selfless. "You're too kind and caring for your own good, Charles." And she was tempted to add, _And you're definitely too good for Tanya!_ -but decided not to. Charles appeared to have read her thoughts though.

"Bella, please don't be angry with Tanya. This is my choice. I know my passing away would have brought much more sorrow and sadness to her, if she had still been in love with me. Now I can leave this world with a bit of peace in my mind, knowing that it won't affect her that much. It actually makes things easier for me—"

A loud knock on the door cut him short, and Alice entered the room. Both of them looked up, but Charles put a hand on Bella's arm. "Now you know, Bella. So please let me do this _my_ way!"

Bella sighed deeply and finally answered; "Okay Charles. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

As Alice approached them with a tray with remedies, he just smiled back at her. "I will..."

"Sorry I was delayed," Alice apologized. "Things were picking up out there."

"No problems, Alice," Charles assured her. "Dr. Swan and I had some things to discuss anyway."

He had no doubts Bella was still skeptical about his choices concerning Tanya, but he knew she would respect his wishes. He only hoped he had made the right choice, when deciding not to tell his wife about his terminal illness.

Bella was still overcome by what Charles had just laid on her. She had very mixed feelings about the whole situation. She admired Charles' deep-felt concern and love for his wife, but it somehow seemed completely meaningless, knowing she was cheating on him all along. She simply did not deserve his love. Trying to shift back to doctor mode, Bella reached for the tray from Alice.

"Okay, Charles. Let's get this started," she instructed, "You know the drill." Charles lowered the blanket, revealing a clearly distended belly, which was almost as swollen as the last time she had drained about four liters of fluid.

"By the way - I just checked the X-rays. They looked fine. No indication of fluid in your lungs."

"Happy to hear it. Then I should be fine to go home as soon as we've done here, right? I don't want to look like I'm pregnant, when my lovely wife returns…"

Both of the women smiled. "Nope, we can't have that! Let's see how much we can extract this time," Alice offered.

In the meantime Bella started the usual procedure of palpating the belly, trying to find out where to insert the needle.

"Please lean over a little to the left, Charles. I need the fluid to gather over here." Charles shifted over, still granting Bella access to his side.

"Yes, that's good." She had quickly located a good spot on his left fossa iliaca, which seemed suitable. No large organs anywhere near, with apparent clean access to the fluid. After Alice had washed off his skin with iodine, Bella slipped on a pair of rubber gloves and quickly applied the local anesthetic to the skin with a thin needle. It wouldn't remove all the pain, but most of it. It would take a few minutes until the anesthetic would start working, and in the meantime they opened up the vacuum-packed troichart - the thick needle she would use to penetrate the abdomen. It was about three mm thick and it usually looked a bit scary to the patients, but Charles had been through this so many times already that he knew the size of the needle didn't matter much. Instead it was the slight movements inside the belly, when the needle touched the peritoneum, which hurt the most.

"Okay, Charles. Are you ready?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Just shove it in, Bella. Let's get it over with."

With experienced hands she pushed the troichart through the skin with a firm move. A little hiss escaped Charles lips, but other than that he didn't make a sound. Carefully she pushed the needle in deeper until she suddenly was through. A clear, yellowish fluid slowly appeared in the rubber tube connected to the troichart. She was in. Trying to minimize his pain, she carefully fixated the troichart close to the skin, making sure to keep the needle steady.

"Are you okay?" she quietly asked. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine, Bella. No problem." As usual Charles appeared completely composed.

Alice inspected the rubber tube leading down to the plastic bag collecting the fluid. "A little blood, but other than that it looks fine." Now it was only a matter of time.

"Hopefully you'll be finished in a few hours then, Charles. You know that I will need a blood sample when the drainage has finished, but if you're feeling good, and your blood pressure is okay, then you are free to go home."

"Sounds good. Thanks!" He seemed pleased.

"You're welcome Charles," she replied with a smile. "I'll check in on you later". Alice had already left the room, and Bella approached the door to leave as well.

"Bella..."

She came to a halt and turned around, expectantly looking at her friend.

"I know this is difficult to understand, and I know that you don't agree about not telling Tanya. But she's not a strong woman. She might appear so on the surface - but she's not. I need to protect her."

Bella sighed. He was right. She didn't understand, and all her instincts told her that keeping the cancer from Tanya was _not_ the right thing to do.

"I know it's difficult, Charles, and I understand you're just trying to protect her. But I'm still not sure I agree with you. I'm afraid this will just leave her feeling guilty and forsaken afterwards, and I think you're only postponing her reaction."

"Maybe...maybe not. I can't be sure. I can only hope I'm doing the right thing. But I appreciate your honesty, and I hear what you're saying, Bella. And I promise I will give it some thought."

Bella sent him a comforting smile, and briefly squeezed his hand. "Okay, Charles. Let me know if there's anything I can do, right?"

"Thanks Bella. I will."

Bella walked out of the clinic room with a grim half-smile darkening her features. She was furious with Tanya. What kind of woman cheated on such a good man like Charles?

Her mind then flashed to the beguiling green eyes of the man she had shared a few wonderful hours with at the Chicago airport. Trying to drum up the same kind of rage she felt towards Tanya, Bella asked herself, _What kind of man had an affair with a married woman?_ For some reason she still had very ambivalent feelings towards Edward though. Besides the anger she also felt longing, regret, and a twinge of maddening jealousy. She _had_ to get him out of her mind.

tbc...

**Chapter end notes:**

Okay guys.....My muse hasn't been very cooperative during the last week, so I really need some help here;

Am I moving too slow? Too fast? Too little action? Too little sex...? *smirking*

Please leave me a line, telling me what you think. Vamplicious.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi! *waves* Thanks so much for your sweet and encouraging feedback, ladies.

English isn't my first language, so to be honest, I frequently ask myself, what the hell I'm doing writing and posting a fic on a place like this with so many talented and amazing writers. But your reviews makes me want to write more. So if you want the story to move on, the formula is easy: write me a line or two to tell me what you think!

But one thing is for sure: this fic would _never_ have happend, if it wasn't for my two amazing beta's—and good friends—Martinibaby1 and pbswimmer. I'm completely dependant on their help and guidance for each and every chapter! Thanks girls; I owe you big time!

Time for some Edward and Bella. Enjoy!

* * *

When Edward arrived at "Masen's Enterprises" the next morning he was still tired after a night full of tossing and turning.

Sleep hadn't come easily, and it seemed like his mind had been on overdrive throughout the entire night. He usually wasn't the nervous type, but this whole situation was so atypical and complicated that he still felt very worried how it would all turn out. He knew that he just _had_ to bring home the assignment; the firm couldn't lose this job as a result of one of his personal failed love affairs. He was too professional for that.

But how far was he willing to go? And most importantly, how far would Tanya try to push him? Her confessions the evening before had calmed him down to a certain extent, but he was still confused and puzzled about her true intentions. She _had_ appeared sincere when telling about her weird open relationship with her husband. Maybe it wasn't an act; maybe it was true? Maybe he shouldn't have condemned her actions so quickly? And maybe he should have given her a chance?

But for some reason flashes of brown eyes and long dark curls kept popping into his mind. Beautiful smiles and deep pools of chocolate, emanating nothing but honesty and warmth, insisted on pulling his mind in a completely different direction. Even though his encounter with Bella had been brief, he had to admit that she had made a tremendous impact on him, and he knew she was someone he had to check out further.

The morning had arrived much too quickly, and with a groan Edward had dragged himself out of bed. His hotel room was quite simple. The furniture was sparse and totally outdated, but Edward had seen worse, and the room fulfilled its purpose of providing him with a bed and a bath. After eating breakfast in the small attached restaurant, he had walked the 500 yards down the road to the real estate company.

He entered the office at 9.00 a.m. sharp. A young secretary kindly asked him to take a seat while she checked with her boss to see if she was ready for the engineer. This window of time gave him a chance to contemplate the surroundings of the waiting room. It wasn't very big, but it was tastefully decorated with expensive designer furniture in warm copper-red colours, signaling a successful and efficient company. For some reason he had expected a huge office-complex, but giving it some thought he realized that this office was of course just a subsection of the much larger Chicago headquarters. After only a minute, a smiling Tanya appeared at the door welcoming him inside.

"Come in, Edward, I've been expecting you!" She greeted him enthusiastically, while waving in her direction, gesturing for him to follow. She led the way into her domain, which showcased the same tasteful and professional décor as the waiting area. This room had large windows behind the grand desk, providing a spectacular view over the valley. Edward was immediately drawn to the panorama.

"Wow!" He was accustomed to a nice view of Chicago from his own office, but this nature vista surpassed the cityscape by far. "That's amazing," he murmured as he walked over to the window. Tanya slowly followed him with a smug grin, her arms folded across her curvy bosom. She was happy about anything that could contribute to a positive impression of her and her project.

"Yes, it's beautiful, isn't it?"

"No wonder you want to build a hotel in this valley."

"Yes, once the tourists recognize the beauty of this place, I'm sure we're going to have lots of customers."

He turned around and took in her office. "So this is a satellite of the head office in Chicago?"

"It is. Most of our activities are coordinated and managed from Chicago, but we do have quite a few branches all over the country. This one is definitely the smallest." She strolled over to her swivel chair behind the desk, and gestured for Edward to take a seat on the opposite side.

"Charles grew up in this town, and always wanted to return to live here once he retired. We decided to set up a small office here, so I won't have to be in Chicago all the time, allowing me to work from here as well."

"Hmm... seems nice here in Beaver Creek. Very quiet."

A sigh escaped her red lips. "Yes..._too_ quiet, if you ask me. It's okay for a few weeks, but then I start missing the pulse and vibe of the big city. I need a little more excitement than this town can offer, I'm afraid. The quietness sometimes drives me crazy!" She sent him a sizzling smile, showing off her perfect, white teeth, while slowly crossing her legs, drawing Edward's attention to her shapely thighs peeking out from below her short skirt. She was dressed in a classic well-fitting suit with a narrow miniskirt accentuating her soft, feminine curves. She noticed him swallowing hard, his eyes snapping from her lips to her legs and back again, looking slightly distracted. A pleasant feeling of another victory settled in Tanya's mind while she carried on.

"So that's why I'm trying to bring the fun _to_ Beaver Creek," she stated with a wink. Edward got the distinct impression that she wasn't referring only to the building project_._ "I do like a little action," she added suggestively with a smug smile.

"Erm...yeah...right," Edward answered, a little bewildered and dumbfounded by her boldness.

Trying to change the subject—and his focus—he replied, "So…we'd better get this started then."

He quickly opened his attaché case, pulling out a bunch of sketches, he had made earlier while still back in Chicago. "I made some drawings of my initial ideas. After hearing about your plans yesterday, these will definitely need some adjustments, but I still want to show you what I've got, to give you an idea of what I'm thinking." He sounded professional and distinct, like he always did when talking to a client.

"Sounds good to me," she slowly answered, gesturing towards the large conference table across the room. "Let's take it over here."

"Sure."

As he quickly spread out a couple of the architectural sketches on the table, he cleared his throat to begin his presentation. "From what I've seen of this valley so far, it's the magnificent view that's the primary asset—combined with the skiing of course. So we need to keep those features in mind when we design the hotel."

"Okay...sounds about right."

"We _could_ choose to build a conventional hotel alongside the ski lift, creating a solid, traditional resort—doing everything by the book. That would probably be a safe and sound investment." Edward hesitated a moment.

Studying Edward closely, Tanya waited for him to go on. Knowing his adventurous spirit and creative artistry, she had an inkling that he wasn't going to settle for the traditional option.

"But another possibility is that we go for something much more spectacular—something completely new. With the combination of this remarkable valley and this substantial budget, we have a chance to do something extraordinary! My suggestion is…" he took a deep breath, "to build a hotel resembling an ice-crystal."

"An ice-crystal?" Tanya first looked surprised, then skeptical. But a curious twinkle in her eyes encouraged Edward to go on.

"Yes, I know it sounds weird, but let me explain."

And then he started a long and thorough description of the most spectacular building, beyond Tanya's wildest imagination. The symmetrical architecture would be built into the side of the mountain with oblique nontraditional angles yet long, clean lines. He wanted the structure to be built on a vantage point, to capitalize on the stunning view. And to emphasize the illusion of an ice-crystal, he wanted the full facade covered by large windows evoking the image of a sparkling crystal diamond.

Tanya was immediately thrilled by the idea. She loved the thought of creating something completely new; a structure that would attract attention not only in the architectural world, but also in her own real estate business.

Edward went on explaining and showing her different sketches of his ideas for the layout and lines of the building. To his great surprise Tanya offered lots of input, and the dialogue soon turned into a constructive, inspiring process. Edward was well aware that his idea of an ice-crystal was risky and would probably be controversial as well, since it wouldn't exactly be a discreet building. So he hadn't expected his new client to like the idea straight away. But he actually found Tanya to be even more ambitious and visionary than himself.

There was no doubt they would need to tone down their loftiest, pie-in-the-sky ideas in the process, but it was inspiring to experiment and play with notions of something spectacular, and he soon found the collaboration with Tanya both fun and fruitful. It wasn't every day he had the chance to work with a client who possessed the courage to go toe-to-toe with him on his ideas. Her enthusiasm once again made him wonder if he had been conceited about her intentions, when she had requested him for the project.

After two hours of hard work, they agreed it was time to take a tour around the town. Not only was it important to check out possible locations for the project, but it was also expeditious for Edward to get to know the town in order to see how his ideas would fit into the general community of Beaver Creek. The hotel's exact location was still in question, and Tanya wanted Edward to be part of that decision. Since Charles owned quite a substantial acreage in close proximity to the ski center, they had several options. So after having dressed warmly they left the office and headed out for the car.

*****

During the next few hours they checked out a number of possible building lots. Edward found a few of the hill-side sites very interesting; all suitable for the project. The sites had spectacular views and close proximity to the best ski runs, providing excellent access to the slopes. Each site would require different plans for the hotel, but there were many possibilities and Edward was truly encouraged by what he saw. For most of these places the access to the location by car was unfortunately—as of now—quite impassable, and there would definitely be challenges regarding the accessibility in the construction process. But this snag was surmountable and Edward had no problems envisaging "the Crystal" built on any of these locations.

"This is the last spot I want to show you," she purred, as she parked the car on the side of a forest road. She had been pleased about Edward's reactions thus far. She knew that finding the right spot was pivotal, and she was thrilled to see Edward's enthusiasm about the sites so far. But her favourite site was coming up next and she couldn't wait to find out what Edward would think of this one.

They had driven a few miles out of town, and Tanya had stopped the car on a small gravel road just a few hundred yards from the shores of Beaver Lake. They still couldn't see the lake, since a thick forest stood between them and the iced body of water. A narrow path led the way through the wood, and Tanya gestured for Edward to follow her. The forest floor was covered by about 20 inches of snow, but the path had been shoveled, so they had no trouble navigating their way towards the lake. A cross country skiing track ran along the path indicating that this area was frequented by many outdoor enthusiasts.

"This is—as you can see—actually quite a distance away from the other spots, and contrary to the other places, this is _not_ located near the ski center."

"Okay…?" Remembering how important the proximity to the ski center was to their plans, he was curious to know why she still wanted to show him this particular location.

"This one is located on the shore of Beaver Lake, giving us a completely different basis. Besides the beautiful location near the water, it has some great assets which would give us much better possibilities for year-round activities like boating, fishing, hiking etcetera." _And it gives me the perfect excuse to kick out a certain woman doctor,_ she thought to herself.

"But there _are_ some impediments involved with this location. We would for instance need to build a gondola connecting the new runs to the existing lifts further up. And that would be expensive. So at first glance it might not appear as the perfect place. _But..."_ Tanya hesitated a moment; "it _is_ rather idyllic here, so I still want to show you."

They quickly walked the few hundred yards through the forest. The trees stood close together, so it wasn't until they reached the lake that Edward finally understood why she had brought him here. As they emerged from the forest, they were greeted by a breath-taking scenery. The path ended on a little plateau situated about hundred yards above the shore, which provided them a great survey of the area.

Even though they had already seen several spectacular views this morning, he would have to agree that there were something special about this place. While the other landscapes had been magnificent and grandiose, this particular location possessed an intimate and picturesque idyll, which made it quite unique. The silence was deafening, and it seemed like the mountains rising around the lake shielded the peaceful haven from any winds and storms threatening from the outside. He had the feeling of having entered a refuge; a place to hide away from the outside world, and there almost seemed to be an air of magic about the spot. He could see a few hiking and skiing tracks, and a single cabin built just below the plateau, but other than that the place seemed completely undisturbed.

_If there was such a place as a winter paradise on earth, this must definitely be it!_ he silently told himself. He couldn't remember ever having been on such a lovely, peaceful and serene place before, and a part of him wanted to keep the place untouched. But the engineer in him noted that this spot definitely had some great potentials.

Tanya appreciatively surveyed the scenery as well, but when her gaze flashed over the small cabin her eyes hardened, and a bitter smile crossed her lips for a fraction of a second.

Edward still hadn't said a word, but his stunned facial expression spoke loud and clear. Tanya studied him carefully, and she was thrilled by his reaction. She had hoped he would like it and since she knew that there were a few complications involved with this location, it was important she had Edward on her side.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"It's stunning," he replied distractedly, still mesmerized by the landscape. "I can't believe how it's been possible to keep a place like this so unspoiled! Usually such places would be overloaded with hotels and cabins and tourists..."

"My husband grew up here," she retorted, shrugging her shoulders. "He's kind of sentimental about the place, so he has always wanted to keep it undisturbed."

Edward was surprised to hear that it was due to Charles Masen that the haven was kept this undisturbed. He had never met Mr. Masen, but the man had a reputation of being a skilled businessman, with a remarkable flair for eying profitable investments. This place seemed like a perfect location for a recreational resort, so it surprised Edward that he hadn't fallen for the temptation of building something here earlier.

"So what's different now?" Edward wanted to know, while his eyes wandered over the countryside.

Tanya hesitated for a moment, trying to discern how much to involve the handsome engineer. She knew for certain that choosing this site wasn't going to be that simple, and there was a pretty good risk that Charles wouldn't approve. This lake-front territory was where he grew up, and even though his childhood home wasn't here any more, he was still quite emotionally tied to the place. About 15 years ago he'd built a new cabin, on the same location as the original house, and he still loved to come here.

In her opinion, he did that _way_ too much after that woman-doctor had moved in, and it still made Tanya highly suspicious. Even though she was quite certain that Charles wasn't cheating on her, she had plenty of reason to be jealous of Bella. Since the day Charles had introduced her to the new, annoyingly beautiful doctor, Tanya had felt a rankling threat against her own position as the number one woman in her husbands life, and she had never accepted his interest and involvement in Bella's well-being.

_Oh, how she wanted to get rid of that bitch!_ Tanya knew that Bella's living here would definitely interfere with Charles blessing for the project, but knowing her impressive talents for convincing her husband to do whatever she wanted, she hoped she could make him agree to this plan as well.

"Nothing is really different, but my persuasiveness can be quite effective when I'm focused on something. So I think he'll agree." A smirk played on her lips.

Edward didn't like the thought of having to convince Masen to let them use the site, but he had to agree with Tanya that it would indeed make a fantastic setting for their hotel. The place was like a fairytale, creating the most idyllic setting for a vacation resort, and Edward had to admit that the prospect of building here excited him immensely.

"Do you own all of it?" he asked, gesturing towards the lake.

"Yes, we've got the land all around the lake, so it's totally up to us what we do with it."

"What about the cabin?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is it yours too?"

"Of course."

"It would probably have to go. It would be situated just in front of the hotel-facade, spoiling the view. Would that be a problem?"

Tanya suppressed a smile. This was exactly what she had hoped he would say. "I don't think so. I already expected that. I guess I will just have to intensify my persuasion a bit. Charles used to have some special feelings for the place. But during the last two years he has rented it out anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem." She made sure to sound as unconcerned as possible.

"So who lives there now?" Edward curiously asked.

For a brief moment she considered how to play her cards most effectively. She was tempted to tell him that her husband's mistress lived there. Maybe it could work to her favor? But she was afraid that maybe he would sniff out her hidden agenda. If she made a big deal about the cabin's inhabitant, perhaps he would figure out that demolishing the cabin was her primary reason to pick this location? She had the feeling that Edward wouldn't appreciate her jealousy dictating the site for this huge project.

"Just an employee at the hospital…We'll find her another apartment," she evasively answered and the subject was closed. There was no need to take any risks.

*****

The Porsche stopped outside of the local coffee bar in Beaver Creek and Edward turned off the engine. Tanya had offered to let him drive the car back to Beaver Creek, and he had enjoyed feeling the smooth moves and the raw power embedded in the vehicle. He didn't really want to get out the drivers seat just yet. Tanya watched him as he once more slowly let his long, lean fingers stroke over the steering wheel. Like yesterday she wished that his admiration and sensual caresses had been aimed at her.

"Cream or sugar?" he finally asked, as he finally let go and released the clasp on his seat belt.

"Just sugar, please."

"All right. I'll be right back."

Edward quickly slipped out of the seat and headed into the coffee bar, mentally replaying the events of their day. To Edward's big surprise, the day had been good so far. It seemed like all of his misgivings about his collaboration with Tanya were highly exaggerated, and so far she had demonstrated a professional, almost exemplary manner. Okay..she still appeared a little flirty once in a while, but not more than he could handle, and he had a feeling that the flirtation was just a natural part of her personality. As long as she didn't cross the line, he actually found her subtle come-ons charming. There was no doubt that the lady was an extrovert; a chatty conversationalist who craved socializing and having fun. He figured she was accustomed to a large circle of acquaintances in Chicago, and since it seemed like she had a hard time adjusting to her much older husband's quieter lifestyle here, it actually didn't surprise him that she enjoyed having company.

The coffee bar was almost empty, and he quickly ordered a coffee with sugar for the lady and a frappucino for himself.

"It will be ready in a minute," the young female barista informed him after he'd paid.

"No problem," he replied, turning around to check out the cafe as the barista did her thing. He was actually surprised that a local coffee bar in small town Beaver Creek offered such big-city beverages like frappucinos. But since they were his favourite drink, and there was a fair chance he would spend a great deal of time in this little town in the time to come, it was good to know that he would still be able to get his little calorie-caffeine-fixes.

Just as he was heading towards a table to take a seat while waiting for his beverages, a familiar and very attractive young woman with long brown hair entered the cafe. Bella was wearing a long warm coat, with matching green scarf, hat, and wool gloves. She stopped a few seconds just inside of the door, stamping her boots free of snow, removing her hat and gloves. Edward caught sight of her the second she'd entered the cafe, once again mesmerized by her natural beauty.

"Hi Emily!" she called out enthusiastically, before she—unbeknownst of his presence—approached the counter.

The barista was still blending the frappucino near the rear counter. "Hey Bella! I'll be right with you."

Even though it was actually just about 15 hours since he saw her the last time, Bella somehow seemed different today. After having pulled off her hat, her hair was slightly tousled and a bit curlier too. She looked like she had been out walking for a while, as her flushed red cheeks enhanced the sparkle in her bright coppery eyes, and it seemed like she brought with her a breath of fresh air from the outside.

Edward noticed that she emanated a demeanor of calm and ease today, which he hadn't seen yesterday. It was obvious that she felt at home here. He briefly remembered her vague comments about needing to get away from the hectic urban life for a while, and it definitely appeared like this place did her some good. Despite her tousled hair and red cheeks Edward found her even more beautiful today than yesterday; her mere presence made him feel all warm and happy inside.

"No problem, Em. I'm in no…"

She abruptly came to a halt as she eyed the man standing only a few yards away from her. Edward was leaning against a table, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"...hurry," she hesitantly ended the sentence, looking dumbfounded and surprised.

"Well, hello there," Edward said, sending her a dashing smile and silently thanking the gods for letting him meet her again. Things had ended all wrong yesterday, and he definitely had some catching up to do.

"Um...hi..." Bella reluctantly replied. Her bright mood from before had all of a sudden vanished, now replaced by an annoyed expression, to his huge disappointment.

"So you actually _do_ live here..!" he nervously offered with a smirk, trying to figure out how to play this. Unlike their light and easy conversation last night, a hampering awkwardness suddenly seemed to creep over them.

"Yes..." she swallowed hard. She paused a few seconds before she went on, "And you actually _were_ heading to Beaver Creek," she finally replied, feeling just as tense about the situation as he did.

"Yep. I sure was…small world…" He was frantically searching for the right thing to say and silently cursing himself for not being able to come up with something more intelligent. He normally hadn't problems talking. Playing with the words actually used to be one of his gifts. But with this woman involved, nothing seemed normal anymore.

"Yeah..."

A few more awkward seconds passed, with neither of them saying anything. It seemed like they had both lost their tongues.

"Erm...And you got home safely?" he finally asked. _God...he was really hitting rock bottom now!_

"Yes, thank you." Bella didn't need to return the question. She knew for sure that he had been very well 'taken care of'. Thinking about Tanya, she once again felt hot anger boiling inside.

"You're not working today?" he asked, trying to keep up conversation, and maybe even lead it back to where they left off yesterday. He still maintained a slight hope she would agree to the 'deal' about skiing and dinner.

"No, I've got a few days off." She appeared even more aloof than before.

"Okay...so if I start pushing you about that deal again, would you consider—" Before he had a chance to finish the question, Bella angrily interrupted him:

"Tell me, Edward; are you in a relationship?" she asked him with an inquisitorial stare.

Taken back by her sudden directness he stuttered: "Uh...no…no...I'm not..." A deep sigh escaped his lips. _Here we go..._

Bella raised her eyebrows, sending him a skeptical grimace. "I'll give you a hint: Yesterday? In the passenger pick-up area? A woman in a red dress?" Having replayed the scene mentally about a hundred times throughout the night, Bella remembered every single detail of Tanya's outfit.

Edward was aware that his initial answer hadn't come out as very believable, and this time he braced himself to sound firm and convincing; "You saw my encounter with Denali? She's just my client."

"Your _client_?" Bella sent him a distrustful glare.

"Yes, I know it must have looked suspicious, but I swear; She's only my client....." he hesitated a bit before he went on, ".....She's had it out for me since the day I met her...." For some reason he suddenly sounded both tired and troubled. It was obvious that his encounter with Tanya bothered him. But was it the kiss that bothered him, or the fact that Bella had caught them?

"I saw you guys kissing. That's some client huh?" Her tone dripped with sarcasm.

"Well... I must rectify that: _she_ kissed _me_, and I was actually quite annoyed about that kiss."

Bella shot him a quick glance, checking out his facial expression, which she actually found seemed to back up his words. Sensing his honesty, some of her initial anger started to fade a little, and she felt a slight trace of regrett about her outburst.

Still feeling the urge to elaborate, Edward continued, "To be honest, we had a few dates three months ago. But now it's just business. Problem is, she's got a hard time accepting that, and that makes it a bit difficult to..." Once again Bella interrupted him, embarrassingly raising her hand to try to stop him.

"Please Edward! You don't have to explain it to me." Sensing that he still had the same influence on her as yesterday, she needed to get some distance.

Her last interruption made him drop his head, and he sighed deeply, lingering a moment before he finally looked up at her again.

"I know."

Damn...This wasn't going well. How could he make her understand? He needed her to understand! He paused for a short moment waiting for her to return his gaze. When he finally succeeded, and captured her big brown eyes, he continued.

"But I _want_ to...."

Their eyes locked for a few moments, and in the depths of his steel green pools she could only read honesty and an earnest plea to be believed. She was surprised by the sudden sincerity in his voice, and she had to muster all of her strength to tear her eyes away from his riveting gaze.

For a slight moment she felt tempted actually to believe in him... Could it be, that it was just Tanya that was out for him? Knowing Tanya and her persistence to get what she wanted, it couldn't be ruled out completely. _Maybe_ she should have faith in him? Give him a chance? The inner longing he had so easily and yet so miraculously awoken in her still yearned to be gratified. Oh how easy it would be to just release all of her suspicions, and just go along with whatever he would bring...

"Your coffees are ready, sir." It was the young barista, calling out for Edward, as she placed two disposable coffee cups on the counter.

Bella immediately noticed the _two _cups and an inner alarm set off. Eying the cups, she slowly turned around and looked out the window. Abruptly she was brought back to reality again and her suspicions were once again confirmed when she caught glimpse of Tanya, sitting in the sports car parked outside. And the fact that Tanya was sitting in the passenger seat somehow made it even worse, indicating a certain amount of familiarity between the two.

This guy was dangerous territory. Once more she had been so close to giving in to him. She couldn't believe, after what happened yesterday, that he still could have such an impact on her. There was no way she could trust this man, and yet she kept thinking about him; kept longing for him. Why couldn't she get rid of this unhealthy obsession with those beguiling green eyes, which continued to haunt her? All she could come up with was that she definitely needed to get away from him. Now!

"Yeah...right," she murmured, trying to avoid getting caught again by his mesmerizing eyes. "I'm sorry. I have to go..."

Bella hastily turned towards the young girl behind the counter."Sorry Emily. I need to leave." And before either Edward of Emily had time to react, Bella had swiftly exited the cafe.

Edward was left dumbstruck. The whole conversation had passed by all too fast, and he didn't really understand what had happened. But he was sure of one thing; It didn't go well. The disappointment was severe and the good feeling he'd had just a few moments ago was now all gone. It was a long time since he had felt such joy as today when she entered the café. Seeing her happy spirit swoop into the café, he felt a deep longing to get closer to this woman. To become a part of her life. But for some reason she was scared, and her sudden flight today had most of all reminded him of an injured animal fleeing from a dangerous situation. He didn't know what she was fleeing from or why she all of a sudden seemed so afraid of _him_. But he knew one thing: He was not going to give up on this girl. Not so easily...

Before he left the cafe he once again approached the counter.

"Excuse me, miss."

The young girl, who had overheard the dialouge, looked at him skeptically. "Yes..?"

"You wouldn't happen to know where Bella lives—or her phone number?" At least it was worth a try.

"I'm sorry, sir. I can't help you" she loyally answered, protecting her friend.

"Okay..." Edward answered, before he disappointed left the cafe.

As he got into the car again, he handed Tanya her coffee.

"Here" he said rather harshly. He didn't intend to sound so distant and cold, but he didn't bother excusing himself. He was still bewildered about what had just passed, but he somehow sensed that Tanya might have something to do with it—something he needed to find out. Soon.

"And yours?" Tanya asked, when she saw him return with only one coffee.

"Lost my appetite" he stated bluntly, when thoughts of his frappucino in the trash flashed through his mind. Without saying anything more he started the engine and drove off.

tbc...

**Chapter End Notes:**

So, what can I do to make you guys send me some reviews back..?? My muse feeds on these reviews, so pleeeeeease help me along with a few lines of your thoughts on the chapter.

It's actually quite pathetic how much a _"Thank you for the nice update. Hope you'll be back soon!" _means to me these days...but it does!! So please._ Anything!_ I just need to know, if this is a total waste of time or not.


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors notes:**

You have _no idea _how thrilled I was with all of your awesome reviews! Thank you so much!!! Jeez...I could get sooo used to this!

*throws kisses and hugs to all reviewers*

(I'm still working on responding to all of them btw.)

So here's the next chapter. This is an 'in-between-chapter - without much happening, but I needed to tie up some ends before we can move on in the story...

For some strange reason it seems like some of my readers are nnot too fond of Tanya. I'm curious to hear what you think after this! ;)

Enjoy! :)

* * *

"What's up with you today, Bella? You seem kind of out of it..."

Bella was called back to reality by her friend's curious voice. She hadn't realized that Alice had stopped talking a while ago, and was now scrutinizing her inquisitively.

It had been a while since they'd had a girls night, and even though Bella had felt like hiding away all by herself on her sofa under a blanket in front of the fireplace, doing nothing but feeling sorry for herself, she ended up inviting Alice over to the cabin. She'd figured it would be good for her to get her mind set on other things. They would usually have met up at the cafe, but after her last embarrassing encounter with a certain green-eyed engineer, that place had not been an option. She simply couldn't risk bumping into him again. Not today...

So after some grocery shopping on her way home, she had spent a few hours in the kitchen preparing a delicious Italian meal with bruschetta, Calzoncini con spinaci and a homemade Cassata ice crème. She was actually quite impressed with herself. Cooking was one of those tasks she'd practically never done while still living in Chicago. She simply didn't have time for it, and to be honest she hadn't wanted to bother with the whole thing either. Most of her meals had been eaten out or picked up on her way home from work at one of the local take-out restaurants in her neighborhood, and since she'd always tried keeping up with the hectic pace of the large city life, she'd never given herself the luxury of preparing and cooking her meals from scratch.

After moving to Beaver Creek, she initially had been a bit annoyed by the sparse number of restaurants, but after a few months she had learned to appreciate the joy of home cooking, and her choice of courses had become increasingly challenging and sophisticated during the period. When Alice had arrived a few hours ago, she had been greeted by the tantalizing smell of garlic, making her mouth water immediately.

The two friends had enjoyed the meal together, while chatting about the latest gossip going around on the clinic, Bella's trip to Chicago, and Alice's latest purchase for her constantly expanding wardrobe. And as always Alice had her usual rant about Newton's rude bedside manners. Bella couldn't help but laugh at her friend's bitter yet quite entertaining descriptions of the arrogant doctor, who obviously had a special ability to provoke the young nurse.

Even though the two women had only known each other for a few years, it seemed like they were lifelong friends and it was obvious they enjoyed each other's company. The conversation flowed easily and cheerfully, and Alice possessed an incredible ability to make Bella relax. The young woman didn't regret her decision to call her friend. On the contrary. This was much better than a lonely night on the sofa, curled into a ball of misery and self pity.

Several times Alice had tried to direct the conversation back to the topic from this morning about Bella's missing love life, but so far, Bella had managed to evade the mortifying theme. Her mind had nonetheless kept on returning to her brief encounter with earlier that day—repeatedly reviewing his explanations about his relationship with Tanya.

By now she felt quite embarrassed about her own behavior at the cafe, and her continuing post-mortem evaluations of the episode just seemed to make it even worse. Even though she still didn't know what to think about the man, she couldn't believe that she so boldly had confronted him about his relationship with Tanya. She hardly knew him, and yet she had more or less accused him of cheating on her! And finally she had crowned the achievement by just running out on him.

_Jeez..._ Thinking about it now, it seemed like a total overreaction. What kind of impression had she left behind with her sudden departure?! He must consider her as an emotionally unstable drama queen by now.

But how could she know if he was trustworthy? How could she ignore his evidently _very _familiar connection with Tanya? If it was true that it was just Tanya who was lusting for him, why was he even working with her? Why hadn't he handed over the project to someone else? There seemed to be far too many questions about this man; questions which kept whirling round in her head, distracting her from her conversation with her friend. Alice's sudden question brought her back to present time, and her friend's scrutinizing eyes.

"Oh...sorry Alice. It's nothing...really! I'm just a little absentminded today."

After the meal, they had moved over to the large sofa, enjoying a cup of coffee, while watching the flames dance in the fireplace. Once again trying to avoid the uncomfortable topic, she quickly got up to add another piece of wood to the fire.

"Come on, Bella. It's me. I know you too well. I can tell something is up." Alice wasn't giving up so easily.

Bella slipped back onto the soft cushions on the sofa, internally debating whether to involve Alice in her recent emotional fluctuations—and the piercing green eyes causing them. Since her missing love life was a topic Alice seemed to relish with delight, she wasn't sure it was wise of her to spill her recent escapades to her friend. But she really needed to vent, so she finally gave in with a deep sigh.

"Okay..." she acquiesced, searching for the right place to start. "Remember the guy I told you about from the airport yesterday?"

Alice leaned back, pleased that Bella finally decided to talk. "The one with the girlfriend showing up?" She was curious to hear the full story about the event. The fact that Bella been avoiding the topic until now made her even more curious.

"Yeah..." Bella reluctantly replied. "I...erm...I...um... actually met the guy again today...here." O_kay...here we go...no turning back now!_

"Here??! In Beaver Creek?" Alice was truly surprised. "Where?"

"Over at the coffee shop."

"Now that's some coincidence, isn't it? What's he doing here?"

"Well, it seems he's here on business. He's an engineer, and he's here to check out a possible building-project."

"Okay...that must have been some surprise to meet him here!" Alice watched her friend curiously, trying to read her facial expression, but so far Bella managed keep a straight face.

"Actually it wasn't. He already told me he was heading for Beaver Creek in the airport, so I knew I might bounce into him."

"So what about the girlfriend?"

"Well...that's the point...I don't really know, if she's a _girlfriend_..." She shifted on the chair, obviously uncomfortable about the situation—stalling. She didn't want to reveal the identity of the 'girlfriend'. Even though Charles knew about Tanya's indiscretions, and he even had told her about it on his own initiative, she still didn't figure he wanted others to know about it. He had confided in her as a friend—and as her doctor—and Bella had no intention of abusing his trust.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked, all confused, reading the conflicting emotions in her friend's eyes.

"Well...um...When I met him in the airport it was not like he told me that she was his girlfriend. She just suddenly came forward in the baggage claim area, and then hugged and kissed him. So I took it for granted that she was his girlfriend." Before she went on, she had another sip of her coffee. "But when I met him today, he started asking me out again. I just couldn't believe it, so I ...uh...got a little huffy and asked him directly about her. I don't know what came over me, but I'm afraid I didn't come across very friendly..."

Alice couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You did!? Way to go, girl." Alice knew Bella as a cautious and diplomatic person, so such a blunt question from her was quite unusual. "Well...what did he say?" Alice encouraged, eager to hear about his reaction.

"He said, that she's only his client, and that she has a crush on him but he's not interested in her." Bella looked expectantly at her friend, curious to hear what she thought.

Alice raised here eye brows, throwing Bella a skeptical glance. "And do you believe him..?"

Initially it sounded a bit far-fetched, but Bella wasn't usually the naïve, gullible type, so Alice didn't want to dismiss the explanation straight away. There had to be something special about this guy, since Bella was still thinking about him. During the time Alice had known Bella, no man had so far been able to get under her skin, but for some odd reason this man had managed to do so in less than half an hour.

It took a while before Bella answered. "I don't know, Alice. That's the problem," she sighed, sounding rather frustrated. "I don't know the man at all, so how on earth do I know if it's the truth? Don't you think the explanation is a bit _too_ convenient?"

Alice hesitated for a moment: "Maybe..." she stated pensively, afraid to jump to conclusions too fast. "At first glance it might be, but it seems there's something special about this guy, since we're talking about this...?" she added with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Maybe...maybe not...I'm just confused right now." Bella smiled at her friend.

"Well, what does your gut feeling tell you, hun?" Alice was becoming more and more intrigued about the man.

"My gut feeling?" Bella repeated with a frown. "I can't trust my gut feeling! I'm such a lousy judge of character. For all I know, he could be fooling me big time. And I'm probably wasting my time about a guy who doesn't even remember me." Bella knew this was a lie. He'd definitely remembered her this afternoon, but the insecure and self destructive part of Bella's personality once again seemed to kick in when a man was involved.

Alice was surprised by her friend's total lack of confidence on the matter. "Don't patronize yourself like that, Bella! I know you've had your share of bad luck, but I think you've learned your lesson. And you've come a long way since you arrived to Beaver Creek. So what _does_ your intuition tell you, girl?" Alice had a feeling she already knew the answer.

Bella was now staring into the glowing embers of the fire while mentally replaying the dialogue from the coffee shop, evaluating every single comment, movement and facial expression. Swallowing hard, she finally—reluctantly—replied:

"Well...my intuition tells me, he's a good man. Even though it seems very unlikely, he actually came out really sincere and honest when he explained the situation." Hearing herself say those words out loud actually gave her a surprising feeling of relief. Relief of finally being honest with herself for the first time since she met him.

Alice couldn't suppress a smirk dancing around the corner of her mouth. "Well, it seems you've got your answer then, sweetie."

"It's not that simple, Alice. I wish it was, but it's not," she insisted, vigorously shaking her head.

"Why make it so complicated? Why don't you just take him up on that dinner and see what you think. Dinner isn't that much of a big deal, right? You can never be sure about anyone until you get to know them. That's the point of the dating, you know. You date the guy to find out who he is. And a single date can't hurt you, missy."

"But that's the point. It _can_! I'm in really deep waters with this guy—even though I barely know him. And it scares the hell out of me!"

Alice was surprised by the slight hint of desperation suddenly evident in her friend's voice. There definitely had to be something _very _special about this man.

"So tell me Bella. What's the scary part? Is it the man, or the way he makes you feel?" Alice challenged her.

The question made Bella's large brown eyes snap quickly from the flames over to her friend on the other end of the sofa. Alice got the feeling that her question had hit the bull's eye. Bella lingered a while before she answered.

"Maybe a little of both?" she finally despondently replied. "No, actually it's a _lot _of both! Jeez...I'm such a coward." She couldn't help but smile at her own behavior, and a soft, nervous chuckle left her mouth.

Alice sent her a knowing and comforting smile. "Sounds to me like you need to give this man a chance, hun! Maybe you have more to win than to lose here..."

Shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders Bella replied:

"I don't know, Alice. I simply don't know..."

* * *

"I don't know, Emmet. I simply don't know..."

Edward was pacing restlessly back and forth in the hotel room, talking to his brother on the cell. "The woman keeps on confusing me. One moment she seems honest and trustworthy, telling me that she's got no expectations or intentions regarding me, but the next moment I get a distinct feeling she's coming on to me again."

He had just put away all of the sketches after having worked on them all afternoon, and had finally placed himself comfortably on the bed with the remote—ready to watch some television—when the phone had started to ring. A bit annoyed to be disturbed when he actually just felt like flipping unconsciously through the channels, he'd slipped the phone open with a feeling of irritation, only to feel pleased instead to see it was his brother calling. He could definitely use some brotherly advice this evening. Knowing about Edward's difficult situation regarding his latest client, Emmet called to hear how his little brother was doing, and Edward had quickly filled him in on the last day's developments.

"Well, would it be so bad if she _was _coming on to you?" Emmet was trying to understand why Edward was making such a fuss about it all. "I mean, if she's got this 'open marriage'-thing with the old man, and _he'_s even banging the local doc, why can't you just relax and take what's coming? Why making it all so complicated? She's hot. She's available. And as far as I remember you didn't seem to mind her advances, when you first met her..."

"Just doesn't feel right Emmet. Sure she's hot, and apparently she's available too, but I'm not sure I can trust her. From time to time she seems a bit 'over the top'. Like she's trying too hard. Too energetic, too enthusiastic, too funny... just too much! I don't even think I would be interested even if she was to be trusted..." he confessed honestly.

Emmet didn't even listen to his brother's last words. His brother needed to relax for once and it seemed like this Tanya-girl was desperate to make him relax under the spell her feminine charms.

"Cut her some slack, Edward. Remember you blew her off big time a few months ago, so I guess it's only natural that she's trying really hard to make you like her this time. She's probably just nervous..."

"Maybe you're right..." In some ways he hoped his brother was right. There was no doubt that just playing along with Tanya's flirting game would be the easy thing to do. It would probably ensure him and his firm the building contract, and he was fairly confident that he would have a good time in the process as well.

But after yesterday things had—if possible—become even more complicated. The lively and extroverted characteristics of Tanya, which earlier he had found quite charming suddenly didn't appear so compelling after he had met a certain brown-eyed ski instructor. He couldn't help but feeling much more attracted to the quiet, deep, almost melancholic features surrounding Bella, contrasting so greatly with Tanya's shallowness. In many ways the two women appeared to be diametrical opposites to each other; Bella appearing discreet, almost shy, yet relaxed and natural, while Tanya obviously loving to attract the attention of everyone around her. At this moment he had no idea why he used to think that was charming; now her manic demeanor seemed annoying.

"I think I need to give this some thought, Emmet" he finally replied.

"You know... I think that's the problem, Edward. You _think_ too much. You need to give yourself a break." Emmet was becoming increasingly confused about his brother's sudden insecurity. He usually knew his brother as a focused and determined man, not ambivalent and waffling like this.

"Why don't you put it away during the weekend and just enjoy yourself a little. Go bowling or skiing or something...anything! Just stop sitting there mulling over this. You need to get your ass out of that hotel room of yours and _do _something, Edward. Go enjoy yourself for once!"

"Skiing...?" Edward's attention was suddenly pulled back to his original plan for the date with Bella. Since this afternoon he'd actually given up on the idea. Her sudden dismissal of him today at the coffee shop had left him with little hope of making her accept the date. But his thoughts kept swirling around her—refusing to let her go. Maybe he should give it another try..? She somehow seemed too precious to be giving up on so easily.

"Hm...I actually might do that, Emmet. Maybe you're right. I need to do something. Thanks..."

* * *

"Good morning, Edward," Tanya called out with a cheerful and energetic voice.

Edward stopped abruptly on his way through the waiting room at "Masen's Enterprises". The secretary had just told him that Mrs. Denali would be with him in a few minutes, and that he was welcome to go wait in her office in the meantime. But he hadn't walked more than a few steps before a door at the other end of the hallway opened, and Tanya appeared on cue. She sent him a seductive smile while quickly striding up to him.

Dressed in a tight-fitting pink fitness suit—leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination, it was obvious she had just finished some kind of workout in the nearby room. The suit was a two-piece outfit, with a low-cut top, revealing the shape of her well-formed bosom, and an open midriff showing off her flat, smooth stomach. Edward couldn't help but notice a drop of sweat moving slowly down the cleavage between her swelling breasts. The lycra shorts were low-cut as well, and didn't contain much fabric. In fact, her perfectly shaped ass was barely covered with it. She looked like she had just escaped out of one of those commercial aerobic videos and honestly, she would have made a stunning fitness model. A ponytail was tied high up on her head and she was blushing slightly, still panting from the exercise.

"Punctual as usual?" she asked breathily, gesturing towards the clock on the wall, showing it was 8.00 am. It was Friday—the day after the inspection of the area, and the two had agreed to meet up for another work-session in her office.

"Yeah..." he replied, slightly embarrassed. It felt awkward—and distracting—to be talking to her when she was barely dressed, and he found that he had to work hard to keep his focus on her face. But at the same time her appearance annoyed him, since he suspected that it wasn't a coincidence. This was probably part of the game she was playing.

"I like to be on time."

"Good...I like that in a man," she nodded while grabbing the towel hanging around her neck. Suggestively she dried off the sweat moving down her cleavage. "I've been here a few hours already—doing some spinning. I woke up at 5 o'clock already, and couldn't get back to sleep."

She was very well aware of his forced attention on her face, pleased to see him slightly flustered. Since he seemed to succeed in his attempts to avoid letting his eyes drift downward, she chose to challenge him instead by letting her eyes roam over _his_ body. Like yesterday he was wearing a dark Armani suit, underlining his masculine V-shaped body structure. Since Tanya was lacking her usual stilettos, he was quite a bit taller than her, so she had to look up to face him. The green shirt matched his deep, crystal eyes perfectly. She didn't try to hide that she liked what she saw.

"You must have been up early then! Morning person?" Edward asked innocently.

"No, not usually! I'm just so excited about this whole thing, so I don't need much sleep," she replied, laughing. "I'm just so full of energy these days, so I really don't want to waste my time sleeping!" Another giggle escaped her lips. "So I've been working on my ideas for the conference center since five this morning. It was such a lovely morning, so I might as well do something useful with my time. Can't wait to show you, but of course we have to decide on the spot first. How about you? Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, and before I went to bed I did some drawings which I'm looking forward to showing you."

"Sounds good, Edward. I'll just take a quick shower, and then I'll be with you," she purred, though making no attempt to leave and still surveying him suggestively.

"Alright. Just take your time. I'll start working," he responded, feeling slightly uncomfortable by her roaming visual inspection and sending her a guarded smile. She didn't seem to be in any hurry to get to the bathroom, so he quickly turned around and continued on his way to her office. He could almost _feel_ her eyes dwelling on his buttocks, and when he finally made it to the office and slipped in, he was relieved to be alone. Her bold eyes wandering over his body made him feel at unease and a cold shiver suddenly ran up and down his spine. _She was just full of tricks and games,_ he mused while unfolding the sketches and placing them neatly on the table.

* * *

When Tanya joined him half an hour later, he was deeply focused on the sketches. Since yesterday he had made several new drawings with suggestions based on the different sites they had inspected.

"This is looking _so_ good, Edward!"

She seemed very excited, spreading out the drawings over the big conference table. Edward got up and took one step back, letting her examine his work. Systematically she went through all of them, eagerly asking about details and explanations to the sketches. Once again Edward was impressed by her knowledge and eagerness, but as yesterday she came out a bit over the top. Her eagerness was almost tiring, and he wished she would slow down, just a little... It didn't take long for her to pick out the two drawings he favored himself.

"I like these two the best," she said holding up the drawings of one of the hillside sites and the Lake site, "with the Lake site as my absolute favorite."

Edward had to agree. The hillside site would be great, but the Lake site would be fantastic. "Yes...I agree. There's something really special about that place."

"So what does think about this?" he asked, when turning around towards her again.

A glimpse of annoyance…and maybe insecurity?... swept over her face. He got a distinct feeling that she didn't like the question.

For a second Tanya's mind flashed back to the evening before...

_She slipped onto the soft couch in front of the large panorama windows in the Masen residence. The couple had just finished dinner, and while their housekeeper was clearing the table, Tanya had poured two glasses of brandy, which she now brought with her over to her husband on the sofa. _

_The fireplace was burning, spreading a warm and cozy atmosphere all over the room. It was dark outside, but because of the full moon and the clear sky, they still had a very good view of the landscape in the winter night outside the grand windows. It was freezing cold outside and the bright light from the moon seemed to sparkle as it bounced off the snow, giving an impression of a myriads of diamonds spread all over the scenery. The property was located a mile above Beaver Creek, and the lights from the town lay as a shining blanket throughout the valley. _

_"Here you are, darling," she offered, as she handed him the brandy and crawled in close to him._

_"Thanks," he replied, and received the glass, a little surprised by her sudden intimacy. It had been a while since they had snuggled up like this, and he couldn't help but wonder what she was up to. He loved this woman with all of his heart, but during the last couple of months she seemed to have changed and distanced herself from him. Or was it the other way around? Maybe...he wasn't sure anymore. _

_The only thing he was sure about was that he missed the time when they used to sit like this every evening, enjoying the view over the valley, while talking, sharing, laughing and sometimes just being quiet together. He missed the emotional and physical intimacy they used to have, and which they both used to cherish so much. But she never seemed to have time for him anymore. She was always busy, always working, and most of her time was spent in Chicago—running the business. _

_How could he complain about that? She was only doing what he had been doing all his life. Building up the company. This was how he had lived his life, so who was he to complain about her eagerness and ambitions?_

_But when she had come up with the idea of building a hotel in the valley, he'd been thrilled. Maybe this would give them more time together? Time was running out on him, so he was grateful for every minute he got to spend with his wife. He'd often been tempted to tell her about the disease, thereby forcing her to come be with him. He would have loved her to be here all the time, nursing him, taking care of him, and he missed her more than anything, every time she travelled off to Chicago. But from the day he'd married her, he had promised himself, that he would let her go the day he became too old for her. And there was no doubt in his mind, that receiving a lethal cancer diagnosis fell under that category. She needed to move on, and he was not going to stop her... But he was still a man -very much in love with his wife - so how could he not be thrilled about the prospect of having her here during this project?_

_"So Charles...I took the architect from the Chicago firm for a tour around the town today...checking out possible building sites." She tried to sound as casual as possible. It was usually not a problem getting Charles to agree on her plans, but she had a distinct feeling that this particular request could be tricky. _

_"So what did he think, darling?" Charles was curious to hear where she was heading._ _His free hand entangled in her long curly hair, kneading her skull to encourage her to relax some more._

_"Well...we checked the hillside sites and the sites on the northern side of town. The architect didn't like those very much though...I think it was something about bad access to the sites..." Before she went on she took another sip of her brandy. Charles sent her an inquiring glance. Did she seem nervous? _

_"But on the way home I took him for a walk down at the lake, and when I told him we own that area too, he became very enthusiastic!"_

_"Hmm..." So this was what she was up to. She wanted the Lake-site! He should have seen it coming. _

_She had been hinting about that site for the last couple of years, and even though it was one of his favorite places, she never wanted to join him on his long walks down there. Her reluctance had always perplexed him, and even annoyed him, that she seemed so indifferent, sometimes even hostile, to the place. At one point he'd wondered if it had anything to do with Bella, but he had quickly brushed it off, since he felt very sure, that Tanya knew he harbored no romantic feelings for Bella. Bella was more like a daughter to him...Tanya surely knew that?_

_"I told him that the place was special to you, hunny, but he just wouldn't let it go. He kept on talking and talking about the place, and I have to admit, that he came up with some fantastic ideas for the location."_

_"Tanya, you know how I feel about that place. We're not building the hotel down there." _

_"Charles-sweetie. Let me just show you his sketches, hun. They're just amazing. He's got this magnificent idea about building the hotel so it resembles an ice-crystal. It's really beautiful, and it would give the hotel and the valley so much great publicity, and.."_ _Before she had a chance to say anything more_ _Charles cut her off quite abruptly._

_"I'm sorry, sweetie. It's NOT an option."_ _The firmness and determination in his voice was unmistakable._

_Realizing that she would have to approach this another way, she decided to let it slide for now. She would have to find another way to convince him. There was no way she was giving up on getting rid of that bitch..._

"Well... I talked to him about it yesterday. And he said he'll give it some thought. I think he just has to get used to the idea." The insecurity was gone, and she only displayed her usual polished, confident look. "He'll come around."

And then she grabbed the two drawings and pinned them to the large board filling most of the wall behind the table.

"So let's focus on these two then. Let's create one hell of a hotel!"

tbc...

**Chapter end notes:**

Okay...she wasn't _that_ bad, was she? *smirking*

So how about a poll; All those who hates Tanya, please raise your hand!

(Anyone wondering why she's being so evil btw?)

Sorry peeps... No Edward/Bella-interaction in this chapter. I actually can't wait myself to have them meet up again (not to mention getting them all hot and heavy... ;) ), but the storyline needed this interlude, before we can get them back together again. So please bear with me.

I was absolutely gobsmacked by the response I got last week, and I tell you guys; it was a true adrenalin-kick for my muse. So how about a deal:** you **write me a line (or two) telling me what you think, -and then** I'll **finish the next chapter, which is almost done. That's not too bad, is it..??


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's chapter notes:**

Okay ladies (and gents if there's anybody around..!?).

The poll was pretty clear; everybody hated Tanya, and you all wanted more Edward/Bella. So that's what you'll get!

Here's the next chapter. We're getting closer to the ski trip--_and _we're in for some more Edward/Bella interaction. I hope you'll enjoy!

And btw: Stephenie owns it all! I'm just playing around...

* * *

"Okay, Jen. This will be the last one today. Tell me what's going through your mind right now." It was Saturday morning, and Bella was standing with her first pupil of the day at the top of the beginner's run. The slope wasn't very steep, but it was obvious that it appeared impossibly dangerous for the blond woman trying to find the courage to plunge forward.

"I'll fall. I can't do it".

"Okay...On a scale from 0 to 100; how sure are you about it this time?"

The pupil was a psychologist from Ohio who'd never gotten over her fear of skiing. When she had met up with Bella this morning, she'd flat-out admitted that she was simply too scared to enjoy the sport and that she would much prefer to go swimming while the rest of her family skied. But since they were getting sick of her always chickening out, she finally had agreed to take a few lessons with Bella, to try to overcome her fear.

They had spent the first hour on the bunny hill, practicing the turns from higher and higher starting points on the slope, and Bella had soon realized that Jen's stumbling block was more about anxiety than about technical skills. Jen was a quick learner, and actually had quite good control of her skis. Bella had found it rather amusing—and a bit paradoxical—that she was teaching a psychologist about fear and anxiety.

Fortunately the psychologist had very good insight into her own limitations, and the two women had agreed to approach the matter as a skiing phobia. So they had continued with the exposure training, systematically increasing the challenges, while simultaneously registering Jen's thoughts, emotions and physical reactions all along the way. Jen had done really well, and Bella was thrilled to be able to make use of the psychotherapeutic skills she had learned during her psychiatric rotation. They had now—finally—taken the huge step to mount the lift to the top of the beginners run, which was located quite a bit higher in the hilly country compared to the children's bunny hill.

"Hmm...about 50…I guess."

"That's good, Jen! Compared to the 90 percent you felt when we started today, that's a great improvement."

"Yeah...I suppose it is." Jen was slowly nodding her head, not appearing completely convinced about the so called "improvement".

The two women were standing next to each other, facing the valley, staring down the long, slick slope. Jen was wearing a stylish red ski jacket with matching pants, while Bella was dressed in her usual green and black Instructor outfit. They both looked great, and more than a few of the male skiers had been checking them out when passing by. Jen was much too preoccupied to notice, though.

"And what are you feeling in your body?"

"Oh...I still got it all: palpitations, dizziness, sweating, trembling." Despite her massive fear, Jen couldn't help but smile at herself. She was very well aware that these were all classical symptoms of anxiety. "I'm so pathetic," she moaned, rolling her eyes at herself.

"No, you're not. You're doing just fine, Jen." Bella switched her focus back on the slope in front of them. "Okay...So we'll do what we did down in the children's run; We'll take it easy, and chop up the slope into little segments—one piece at a time."

Jen only replied with a groan. Bella put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You're doing great, Jen! And remember; this is the last one today!"

The pupil responded with a snort. "I can't believe I'm actually _paying_ for this torture!"

Bella laughed out loud. "Well...now that you mention it..." she retorted, with a smile. "It _is_ weird what people pay for these days!" Trying once more, Bella continued; "Okay... You're stalling, missy. You see the group of people standing down there by the trees?" Jen nodded.

"That's the first part. That's not too bad, is it?"

"No... But I can still _see_ all the way down to bottom, and that totally freaks me out!" Fortunately she didn't look as panicked as she tried to portray.

"Well, _don't_ look further down. You just need to focus on that spot first. We take this step by step, and right now I only want you to think about getting down to _that_ spot. You think you can do that?"

"Hmm..." Even though she kept up a humorous facade, it was evident that the shrink was fighting an inner battle with herself. "Just to that spot...? What if I can't get any further than there? Will you call for a chopper to come pick me up?"

Bella couldn't suppress another chuckle. She just had to love the straightforward woman, who—even though she was almost scared to death—still managed to muster some self-irony about her own helplessness. "Well... maybe not a chopper. But I promise that I'll call for a snowmobile if you need it!"

Jen sent Bella a mischievous glance. "How come I get the feeling that you have no intention of calling anyone?"

"I _will _if you need it, Jen. Cross my heart. But just take it nice and slow, with big snowplow turns, then you'll be just fine," she reminded her, referring to the turning technique which all the beginners had to learn as the first step.

"Hmph..." Jen scoffed with a little smile. She looked back over her shoulder, once again establishing that it would be too long and too exhausting to go back to the lift again. She simply _had_ to ski down. "Seems there's no way back. Okay...let's get it over with," she replied, inhaled a deep breath, and to Bella's relief, finally took off. Bella was pleased that it didn't take more convincing this time. Jen was sliding downwards, slow and steady, still maintaining very good control. She did well. Bella stood still for a while, watching her pupil, before she took off herself.

It happened every time. No matter how tired or uninspired she felt. No matter how many worries she'd managed to pick up during one of her busy days at the clinic. As soon as she got out onto the slopes, plunging out from the top of the hill, feeling the rush of the cool air hitting her as she floated downhill. It always made her feel like she could leave everything else behind—at least for a few hours. Skiing was such a kick, allowing her to finally just _live_ in the present moment, reveling in the amazing feeling of freedom and pure happiness.

She could be exhausted before she began her instructor duties, wanting to stay home in bed under her duvet, or maybe curling up on the couch with a book. Sometimes it even felt like she had to force herself out of the house, overriding all of her own good excuses for staying home. But after two years of trial and error, she'd learned that nothing could make her relax and lighten her mood like a day on the mountain. So even if she didn't feel _anything_ like skiing and just wanted to hide away, she'd eventually realized that _this_ was the one thing that could make her feel better. Charles actually had been the one pointing it out to her. Not that he went skiing himself with her, but he had very quickly noticed what miracles a day of skiing could do to Bella.

Today was no exception. Bella felt alive again, and was thrilled that the magic of skiing was evidently rubbing off even onto Jen. Bit by bit, the two women slowly made their way down the slope. By the end of the lesson Bella had been ecstatic to see the charming psychologist sliding down the slope, with a new-found proficiency and confidence. "You did _so_ good, Jen. I'm proud of you!"

"You know, Bella. I'm proud of me too." Jen was beaming. "I'd never thought that I would get this far in just a few hours. Thank you!"

"My pleasure! I'll see you in a week then?"

"Hmm, do I want to torture myself with another lesson?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, if my phobia patients can do it, then I guess I can too. See you then!" she cried exuberantly, before striding off.

After having said goodbye to her pupil, Bella slowly made her way over to the meeting point, next to the ski lift, where she usually met up with her clients. She had only one more lesson on the program for the day. The place was swarming with people—most of them in line to get on the lift, while others were just hanging around or waiting for someone coming down one of the slopes. It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures just above the freezing point, so the cafes and restaurants had opened their outside areas. Lots of people were sitting at the tables enjoying the sun while drinking a beer or warming up with some hot chocolate.

After having taken off her skis, she picked up the note showing her schedule for the day to check out the name of her last client.

"Mr..." her heart dropped the second she read the name. _No way!_ He hadn't signed up for a lesson! What an ambush! She instantly felt the panic starting to rise, before she'd even called out his name.

"...Cullen?" she finally called out, quickly scanning the crowd of skiers, who were all waiting patiently for their instructor to come pick them up.

"Over here." She recognized the melodic, velvet voice from somewhere behind her.

Now it was Bella's turn to experience the anxiety symptoms she'd just reviewed with Jen; her heart seemed to have lost all control, beating away like she'd just run a 100 meter sprint, and her hands became moist and trembling within just a few seconds. Attempting to create some control, she tried to recall some of the anxiety reduction techniques she'd just covered with Jen, but her mind seemed to have gone blank.

_Calm down, Bella!_ _You can do this!_ _One step at a time._ But it didn't help much; the palpitations, sweating and trembling just seemed to increase.

Feeling caught completely off guard, she finally found the courage to turn around to face him. After her little chat with Alice the other day, she'd definitely softened up on the possibility of meeting up with him again. But this was too soon. Much too soon! _And it shouldn't have been like this!_ She'd planned for _her_ to be in charge this time. Prepared—on top of the situation—knowing what to say and do. But once again _he_ was the one in control by sneaking up on her like this.

Before she had come to her senses, Edward was striding up to her, seeking eye contact with her. Very aware of the crowd surrounding them, he quickly gestured for her to follow him. And since she still hadn't figured out how to react to the situation, she—to her own annoyance—found herself passively following him. Despite her anxiety-induced trance she still couldn't help notice how perfect—_too perfect!—_he looked in his deep blue windbreaker and matching pair of bib trousers.

He guided her over to a quiet spot, a few yards away, where he finally turned around and looked at her earnestly. He desperately tried to read her facial expression to get an idea of her reaction to his presence, but so far he could only see shock...and maybe some panic…or was it anger?

"Erh...hi," he finally mumbled, to her great surprise sounding rather insecure.

She braced herself and looked into his eyes, finding his steel green pools studying her pleadingly. Once again she was struck by the intensity of his gaze, being drawn into some kind of magic eye lock taking control of her. _What is it with this man? Focus Bella!_ Pulling up all of her strength she managed to break the spell.

"Hi," she eventually replied, and sent him skeptical glance.

"So this is were you hide out?!" he tentatively said. The tension was palpable.

"Erm...yeah..." _Apparently not well enough!_ She cleared her throat before she went on. "Correct me if I'm wrong; but I don't recall me agreeing to that 'deal' of yours about skiing and dinner." She still couldn't believe he was actually here.

He swallowed hard. "I know... And I'm sorry to intrude on you like this." For some reason Edward was looking even more uncomfortable than herself. Maybe he wasn't so much in charge after all?

"So what are we doing here?" she hesitantly replied, anxious to find out what he was up to.

"Erm...I'm not really sure," he replied with a disarming, nervous smile. "Listen...Bella...I'm not going to push you about the ski lesson if you're not okay with it, but I was hoping that you would at least give me a chance to talk to you...just for a few minutes..?" Edward's eyes were entreating her to hear him out.

Considering all the trouble he'd made to come here, she figured that this was the least she could do. But every fiber in her body was screaming a big fat _NO!._ To her own surprise she finally heard herself reply, "Okay...I'm listening." _Where did that come from?_ She defensively crossed her arms over her chest, sending him an aloof glance.

"You see... I didn't explain myself very well the other day, and I'm afraid you might have gotten the wrong impression of me."

_Oh, I got a pretty clear impression! _she silently thought; her instincts still telling herself to get the hell away from him. But something seemed to hold her back.

Relieved that she hadn't left already, he quickly went on, "After the incident in the airport, I have no problems understanding how you thought that I was together with that woman—that I was some kind of fraud." He looked down guiltily before his piercing green gaze met hers once again. "And unfortunately it seemed like the scene in the coffee shop only verified that impression. But it's not like that, Bella. Not at all."

Their eyes once again locked for a few seconds, and in the depths of his beautiful eyes she could read nothing but honesty and an earnest plea to be believed. Mesmerized by the sincerity in his voice, she had to muster all of her strength to tear her eyes away from his riveting gaze.

"I really wasn't lying when I told you that I'm not with her." He was not at all sure that he would be able to make her believe him, but having gone through the situation multiple times in his head during the last couple of days, he'd decided to put all his cards out on the table. Before he went on he cleared his voice, obviously searching for the right words.

"I..erh... met this woman three months ago at a private dinner party and ended up going out on a couple of dates with her." It felt weird to be talking to Bella about his dating life, but there was no other way. "What she didn't tell me is that she was married."

Bella's eyes quickly shot back to him. He hadn't known about Charles? Knowing Tanya it could definitely be true...

"So when after a couple of weeks a friend of mine told me about her husband, I immediately broke it off. I was actually quite angry with her for lying to me. I cut it off and thought that would be the end of it."

_Okay, Cullen...one point for you!_ She had to admit that it pleased her to hear that Tanya had been dumped.

"But two weeks ago my firm got an offer for a building project. I'm not allowed to say much about this, but the bottom line is that she's the client, and she insists on having _me_ as the manager of the project. I tried to sign it over to one of my colleagues, but she's been very clear that we'll lose the contract if I refuse." He hesitated a moment before he went on, biting his lip. "And since it's a really big project, I simply cannot do that to my firm. So I'm sort of stuck in this situation, which I'm not very happy about."

Bella inspected him thoroughly as he spoke—still not saying anything herself. But her mind was in high gear. Like a few days ago he sounded both tired and troubled, and she actually found herself starting to feel sorry for him. It was indeed a sticky situation and it seemed that he had relentlessly become trapped in Mrs. Denali's sharp polished claws.

Edward went on: "To be honest; I'm not really sure what she's up to. I suspect that she wants us to be together again, but that is not going to happen. So I'm still trying to find a way to handle it. And then I met you in the airport, and I would really like to get to know you some more." To Bellas astonishment he suddenly appeared self-conscious and bashful—averting her eyes. Bella felt her heart starting to flutter again.

"And then you witnessed Tanya kissing me, and now I'm afraid that I've lost my chances with you..." He sent her an anguished glance, hesitantly checking out her reaction. Bella made a great effort to hold a blank face, not entirely succeeding.

"I know that this must sound like a total cock-and-bull story, but I swear it's the truth...And it kills me to know that you might never believe me. You probably think I'm rather pathetic by now, since here I am, rambling away like this, but I really needed to at least _try_ clear this up before giving up on you...And now I'll stop the rambling..." He sent her a rather sheepish smile.

Bella stared at him wordlessly for several moments, taking it all in. "So you're saying that she might be offering your firm this contract…in order to get into your _pants_...?" It was a preposterous story, but her dealings with Tanya up to this point sadly made it rather feasible.

"Maybe...probably...I don't know." There was a slight hint of desperation in his voice by now.

Studying him thoroughly she went on; "So how do you expect me to respond to this?"

"Don't say anything. Just tell me if you'll still do the ski lesson with me..?" he replied, eyeing a faint glimpse of hope.

He hesitantly turned his eyes towards Bella; their eyes locking. Bellas mind all of a sudden went all blank. All she could think of was the beauty and perfection of the man in front of her. And the adorable ramble he'd just delivered. He was almost too perfect. She had no idea how this god-like creature in front of her could be interested in her. She was _so_ out of his league. But even though her common sense told her keep her distance, she knew she'd lost the battle. There was no way she could turn him down again.

"Okay..." Taking a deep breath she finally replied; "You'd better go get your skies then, Cullen." She was rewarded with a breathtaking smile, but before he had time to move, she raised her hand to stop him.

"We'll do the ski lesson. And then we'll take it from there. No promises."

His eyes sparkled in the sunlight. "Deal."

tbc...

* * *

Chapter end notes:

Reviews make my muse sparkle and tingle with inspiration and excitement! So if you wanna join our beloved couple in the ski runs, you know the drill; write me a line or two. ;-)

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	9. Chapter 9

**Authors note: **

So here is the next chapter. It was fun to write, and I hope you'll enjoy it too!

Stephenie still owns it all. I just own a pair of skis! :)

* * *

She knew it the second he put on his skis.

Even though she still hadn't seen him ski as much as one yard, there was no doubt that he'd done this _plenty_ of times before. The easy routine with which he tightened his boots and slipped them into the ski bindings totally smacked of a trained skier. These preliminary preparations usually resulted in a lot of moaning about ankles being squeezed, feeling much too tight and cramped; not to mention the difficulty of fitting the boots into the bindings, which was usually quite a challenge for the beginner. But Edward performed these tasks with a dexterity and proficiency, totally betraying his cover story as a beginner.

"So how many times did you say you'd done this before, Edward?" she 'casually' asked, while inspecting him thoroughly. Even though he'd obviously wildly exaggerated his uselessness as a skier, she couldn't help but be amused by his little charade. Knowing it would probably be tough for him to keep up the inexperienced pretense, she had no intention of revealing that the jig was up anytime soon. This could actually become quite entertaining.

"Just a few times," he evasively replied while fidgeting with his gloves and poles. "Thinking about it, it's actually quite a miracle that I made it through without breaking any bones. So I'm afraid your skills as an instructor will be highly challenged today." Bella figured it wasn't a coincidence he avoided meeting her scrutinizing gaze.

"Is that so..?" she replied with a mischievous smile. "Well, I'm sure you'll do just fine. You probably have hidden talents, Edward, just waiting to be revealed."

He sent her a quick glance, surprised by the accuracy of her words, trying to figure out if she'd somehow already seen through his bluff. Her arched eyebrows made him a bit nervous, but how on earth would she know? They hadn't even starting skiing yet! Maybe he had yet to perfect his 'beginner' charade'? He couldn't let her discover that he was actually quite experienced - ruining his excuse for booking the lesson in the first place. He also wanted her to feel good about her skills as instructor upon his impending miraculous improvement during one lesson.

"So let's get moving over to the lift then." Bella gestured to the line of people waiting to mount the double chair lift, and the two of them slowly maneuvered their way to the loading area, planting their poles in the fresh powder and scating with their skis. Once again Bella couldn't help notice the expertise with which Edward handled his equipment, confirming what she already knew. It appeared that he was not only 'not a beginner', but he might even be a very skilled skier.

The line wasn't long, and it didn't take more than a minute before they both were scooped into the double-seat of the lift, and they quickly lowered the safety bar. The chair was rather narrow making them sit close, shoulder to shoulder, as the lift quickly started the ascent to the top of the mountain. The sensation of his broad shoulder against hers felt comforting and warm, and for a second she found herself fantasizing about how nice it would have felt to have his strong arm draped across her shoulders so that she could snuggle into his warm body. The feeling of his embrace in the airport was still so vivid, and she couldn't believe the strong physical impact this man had on her. Without even noticing, she instinctively leaned in a bit closer to the attractive engineer next to her, enjoying the warmth emanating through the multiple layers of clothes, as if it had been skin touching skin. To her own annoyance she once again she found her thoughts drifting in a most indecent direction. It required all of her will power to shove those naughty thoughts aside.

Trying to get her focus back on the lesson, she quickly cleared her throat. "So... since you're a 'beginner', I guess we'll have to go pretty easy from the start?"

It was actually more a statement than a question, and it somehow made her realize that suddenly _she_ was the one with the upper-hand. Until now, she'd always felt frustratingly out of control around this man, recurrently losing track of the hard-earned self-control which she had carefully built up around herself. But seeing through his little charade, combined with her confidence as a skier, finally made her acknowledge that this situation actually presented some distinct possibilities. An insidious little smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

"Yes, please." Edward immediately noticed the slight change in her attitude, and even though suspicions about being found out lurked in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the lovely girl in front of him. "You must promise to be gentle with me," he pleaded with a twinkle in his eyes, a request which seemed to refer to much more than the ski lesson. The flirtation didn't go unnoticed by the brown haired young woman, but a sneaky plan was coming to life in her mind, which encouraged her to pay him back for his charade.

"Don't worry, Cullen. I'll be _very_ gentle." The smirk dancing around the corners of her mouth both thrilled and scared him. A flicker of apprehension stirred his stomach. _What was she up to?_

"I'm not sure I like that smirk of yours. I'm starting to worry whether I can really trust you..." This time it was him sending her a mischievous glance.

"Sure you can! I promise, I'll take very good care of you," she replied with a grin.

As soon as the chair had left the base of the mountain, they found themselves soaring upwards along the wire about ten yards over the ground providing them a great view of the hillside. It was a beautiful sight—thick spruce forests covered with a thick layer of powdery snow—alternating with wide open undulating meadows, imaging the perfect winter wonderland which Bella had come to love. The different trails fanned out underneath them, and even though this resort wasn't one of the largest, there were still lots of skiers out in the terrain. It wasn't long until they were out of ear-shot from the lift engines, and the deafening silence greeting them now was only interrupted by occasional cheerful shouts or laughter from the skiers underneath them.

Bella spent the time in the lift pointing out the different runs, explaining the area to her attentive listener. It was pretty obvious that she was excited about the valley, and that she knew the terrain like her own backyard. Similar to the very first time they met in the airport, their conversation flowed cheerfully and easily.

"So how does one end up as a ski instructor in Colorado? I mean; didn't you say you were a Chicago girl?" he tentatively asked. He clearly remembered her saying something about needing to get away from the hectic urban life, and he was curious to hear how on earth she had ended up in this place.

"I've been skiing since I was a little girl. My parents used to have a mountain home in another Colorado resort, so I would spend all of my vacations there during the wintertime. I guess skiing is almost in my genes now," she replied with a smile. Even though her relationship with her dad had changed rather dramatically over the last few years, she still treasured those lovely memories immensely.

"Must have been great."

"It was! I loved it there, and probably most of my happy childhood memories are from that place." Her thoughts flashed back to a time when she still felt like part of a family…to a time when the police-career were just a minor part of her father's life and her mum was still there to hold everything together. Edward noticed her quiet wistfulness, but chose to remain silent. He sensed the importance of these memories, and let her relish on happy thoughts for a few moments.

"But that was before everything changed." A melancholic, almost painful shadow suddenly veiled her eyes.

It was obvious that the conversation had also brought her back to some gloomy memories, and a sad expression darkened her beautiful, classical features. Wavering between the instinct to pull back—keeping the conversation light without pushing her any further—and the curiosity to learn more about the secrets behind her melancholy, Edward considered his options. Curiosity won.

"Changed how?" he asked with a soft, empathic voice.

Bella hesitated a moment. "I lost my mum... She died when I was fourteen."

"Oh...I'm sorry. That must have been tough on you." His voice was all velvet compassion.

"It was... And my dad didn't take it very well either. He buried himself in work to get over it..." She lingered, and once again seemed lost in her own thoughts for a few moments. "He still does actually..."

"Oh...?"

"Things have never been the same between us ever since. To be honest we're not on very good terms these days…" _Did she just tell him that?_ This subject definitely belonged in the category of taboo topics which she practically never shared with anybody. She didn't even tell Alice about her strained relationship with her father until after about six months of close friendship. She couldn't believe she'd just shared her pain with this man, whom she barely knew, and still wasn't sure if she could trust. But strangely enough it felt good to tell him; it felt easy.

Encouraged by her openness Edward decided to push the subject a bit further: "Was that why you left Chicago?" He held his breath for a second.

She sent him a shifty glance; brakes finally kicking in. "I guess that was part of it..." It was one thing to be talking about her childhood and even her complicated relationship with her dad. But it was something completely different to be talking about her abrupt flight from Chicago. She didn't talk to anybody about this. This was in a totally different category. There was _no way_ she was going to tell him about her cowardice and shame. About the pain and the dark shadows, which were still haunting her dreams.

Carefully choosing her words, she finally replied; "Erm...let's just say that the peace and quiet here was exactly what I needed, when I moved here a few years ago..."

Edward sensed her discomfort immediately and silently cursed himself for pushing her too far. Trying to get the conversation back on the light and cheerful track he quickly retorted; "And I guess the ski resorts are better here, than in Chicago..?" A charming little smile was playing on his beautiful, full lips.

Grateful for his discreet and agile retreat she sent him a cautious giggle. "Yes...definitely. Lake Shore Drive is a bit too flat for skiing!"

A relieved smile covered his face, and Bella noticed he kept staring at her for a moment. Feeling slightly embarrassed by his intense stare she looked back at him inquiringly: "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing." But he kept looking at her.

"No - what?" Bella insisted.

For a second he almost seemed embarrassed. "Uh...I was just wondering. What made you change your mind?"

"About what?" she asked, even though she was pretty sure she knew what he meant.

"About giving me a chance. You didn't seem very likely to change your mind when we talked the other day in the coffee shop."

This time it was Bella sending him a thorough glance, pondering what to say. "I'm not really sure..." Her eyes drifted away now, seeming to get lost somewhere far away. "I think I finally decided that you sounded pretty honest in the end. Like you really meant it." She swallowed hard before she went on. "And then I maybe felt a little flattered that you took all the trouble to come here, taking a ski lesson from me. I thought I could at least give you a chance." To her annoyance, she felt her cheeks turning slightly red.

"I'm so happy you did," he replied in a quiet, sincere voice.

The lift reached its destination on the top of the mountain before she had a chance to say anything further, and the two of them easily and smoothly glided off the chair. Bella remembered her last pupil's struggle to get off the lift. The ski-phobic psychologist had made a rather inelegant fall, forcing the crew to make an emergency stop. Jen had been immensely embarrassed, and it had almost been impossible for Bella to convince her that falling off the lift was rather common amongst beginners. Edward skiing so smoothly off the lift now was another piece of evidence that he was not a beginner.

Bella took the lead, making sure her pupil was following her. She slowly made her way over to the plateau, from which all the different slopes emerged.

"Okay, Edward. Here we are." She had turned around while watching him ski over to her. She had to fight really hard to suppress a giggle upon observing his feigned clumsy and unsteady style. Bella had no doubts it was all a charade. "There's a run over here which would be a perfect place to start." Edward was relieved to see that her sadness seemed to have vanished.

Before he had a chance to object, she took off towards the expert level slopes, located a few hundred yards away. Not familiar with the terrain, Edward obediently followed suit, having no idea he was being lured into a trap.

As they arrived at the starting point of the most difficult freestyle slope—a double black diamond run—Bella executed an elegant parallel turn to stop, ending up facing her pupil. A smug grin plastered her face as she crossed her arms over her chest, and expectantly watched him approach slowly.

Edward did a clumsy snowplow-stop, and quickly assessed the situation. Looking down the tremendously steep and bumpy slope, he—to his horror—realized that this was perhaps one of the most challenging groomed runs he'd ever seen. "I must say your beginner's slopes are pretty tough here in Beaver Creek," he said, gulping.

"You think so..?" she replied suppressing a chuckle. "Well... Considering what a talented beginner _you_ are, I would say it's just perfect!" she gleefully retorted. A mischievous twinkle was sparkling in her large, chocolate pools.

Not yet completely ready to admit to his farce he continued, "You _actually_ want me to ski down there?"

"Oh yes," she nodded. Then watching a sliver of fear enter his green eyes, she felt a stab of guilt, deciding to call his bluff. "You might as well admit it, Edward. There's _no way_ you're a beginner."

Finally conceding defeat he couldn't help but laugh: "Hey..! How did you know? I thought I was doing pretty good as a beginner!"

"And I definitely enjoyed your style—very much. But I'm afraid it wasn't very convincing though ..."

"Hmph..." he grunted—trying to appear miffed. Even though he'd been busted, he had to admit that he admired how easily she'd figured him out. "But seriously…" He scratched the back of his head, looking a bit overwhelmed by the challenge, "I might not be a complete beginner, but _that _slope is way over my head!" The trail looked both impossibly steep _and_ bumpy.

Bella just shrugged her shoulders: "You wanted me to teach you a lesson, didn't you?"

He sent her a skeptical grin. "Yeah...but I wasn't really expecting something like this..."

"I wouldn't have figured you for a chicken, Cullen..." she mockingly challenged him.

"Chicken..? Trying to mess with my reputation again? Instructors are supposed to be supportive and encouraging!" he scoffed back, while taking another good look down the precipitous trail. It wasn't so much the steepness as the moguls that concerned him. He'd never really done any free-styling before, so this was all new to him. But there had to be first time for everything. "Well...I guess I asked for it."

"You'll do just fine, Edward. I'll teach you." She sent him a beaming smile, which somehow bolstered his ego. He took a deep breath.

"Okay...Let's get the lesson started then - before I change my mind!"

Bella was pleased that he hadn't pulled out. She liked a man up for a challenge. Before they took off, Bella spent a few minutes instructing her pupil. "I take it you've never done moguls before?"

"Never," he confirmed. And he definitely hadn't expected to be doing them today either.

"Well, we'll start with the basics. Generally the point is to slide in _between_ the bumps by zipping through the troughs, or going around them." As a demonstration she slid down between the two nearest bumps, immediately stopping again, while turning around to face her pupil. She was still just a few yards away from him.

"Okay..." Edward was leaning forward against his poles. "That looked easy enough." He couldn't help but admire the elegance with which she'd navigated the short distance.

"But as a beginner you don't want to do that all the time. You need to _use_ the moguls. For instance; when you ski up onto a bump; use the moment when you're on the top, and your tips and tails are not touching snow, to change direction. Or you can start edging down the front side for speed control. Speed control is a keyword, when doing this, so whenever you have a chance, please speed down."

Edward was listening attentively in order to learn as much as possible, but her ardent and charming demeanor, which he found absolutely enchanting, kept distracting him. He had to concentrate thoroughly to keep his attention on the subject—and not on her playful, chocolate depths or her perfect creamy cheeks, now blushing with excitement—as she went on explaining about how to absorb the bumps with his legs and keep his poles in front of him to aid balance and rhythm.

"Okay...so the keywords are; _speed control_, _use_ the bumps, _absorb_ the bumps and _poles_ in front of you. You got it?" Noticing his flustered appearance, she sent him an inquiring glance, to make sure he was still with her.

"Erm...yeah...I hope so," he hesitantly replied, desperately hoping he hadn't missed anything important.

"Okay...let's get started then."

As Bella had done with Jen, she split up the trail into smaller segments, and together they slowly worked their way down the arduous slope. The first few segments were difficult, but as Edward eventually started to get the hang of it, his growing confidence made him speed up and take bigger chances. He sustained several heavy falls, but his drive and eagerness were impressive, and a few bruises didn't seem to scare him off. Bella was actually quite impressed by her athletic pupil.

After the first—and worst—expert level slope, Bella took mercy on him, and let him practice on some other runs that were not quite as demanding.

The time passed by very quickly, and as the lesson was coming to an end, Bella decided to take Edward on one of the narrow freestyle trails, which meandered through the forest. They had just exited the lift and were preparing themselves for the last descent, as she told him about her plans for the last run.

"This will be the last one today, Edward. Going through the forest can be a bit challenging, but it's usually so much fun, and I think you're ready for it." She was very well aware that the lesson had turned into something much tougher than he had expected.

Even though he'd enjoyed the lesson immensely so far, his eyebrows arched sarcastically. "So this will this be the last time you'll try to kill me today?"

"Last time - promise!" she replied with giggle. "But the difference here is that the trail is very narrow, making it much more difficult to lower the speed. And since there are plenty of trees to bump into, you _don't_ want to lose control in there, Edward! So make sure to speed down, whenever you have the chance."

"Okay..." he moaned.

"Just follow me," and then she plunged off towards the forest, where she immediately found the narrow freestyle trail. She quickly disappeared into the woods, and Edward had to speed up to follow her. It wasn't long until he caught glimpse of her slim, athletic figure darting smoothly in soft, elegant curves a bit further down in front of him, and once again he had to admire her perfect style. What he found so difficult and demanding himself, Bella did with an effortless ease, which totally impressed him.

The forest became thicker and he could hear the sounds from the wide open runs getting more and more distant as they got deeper into the forest. He'd lost sight of his instructor again, so he instinctively increased his speed to catch up with her. He had to agree with her; _this was fun!_ The narrow trail meandered in and out between the trees, constantly demanding his full attention and making use of all of his newly required skills. _What a kick!_ He could feel the adrenaline as it flowed through his veins, and the rush somehow made him speed up even more. Suddenly the trail made a sharp turn around a group of dense trees, and too late he realized that he was going much too fast.

As he turned the sharp corner he immediately understood what was about to happen. Even though the following events took place within the course of only a second, it was like everything started proceeding in slow motion.

He saw Bella, who'd stopped to wait for him, standing in the middle of the trail, while carefully adjusting the loops on her poles. She looked relaxed and beautiful, totally unaware of his hasty, careening approach. Despite his exorbitant speed, he was painfully aware of himself sliding towards her, his arms frantically waving about, desperately trying to gain control while simultaneously realizing that a collision was unavoidable.

Bella heard him a few milliseconds before the crash, and he just had time to see her calm brown eyes widen in shock before he slammed into her with a violent _thud_. Edward felt a sharp pain as his forehead smacked into Bella's lip. The two of them were thrown off balance, and tumbled over in the snow with skis, poles, arms and legs getting all entangled with snow whirling up in a crystalline cloud around them. Bella landed on top of him, chest to chest, and they both remained dumbstruck a few seconds while the chaos of the collision was soon replaced by the silence of the deep winter forest. Bella finally slowly lifted her head, which had been buried in the snow right over his left shoulder, and worriedly gazed down upon the man beneath her. Edward's face was almost completely covered with snow—eyes closed—and so far he hadn't moved. A sudden horror spread through her body, and her eyes got huge as she tried to establish the full extent of the damage.

"Are you okay?" she asked with a concerned voice.

"I'm fine," he retorted with a grunt and he finally managed to disengage his hands and pulling of the gloves to swipe away the snow from his face. As he opened his eyes he shot her the most dazzling smile, making Bella's heart skip a beat. But the smile was immediately replaced by a care-worn expression, as he took in _her_ appearance.

"But _you're_ not! You're bleeding!" His steel green gaze focused in on her bloody lower lip, and his eyes were filled with worry and concern. Before Bella had a chance to reply, his hand shot up to her face, and carefully brushed off the snow from her cheeks. Despite the coolness of the snow, she immediately felt the mesmerizing warmth from his hands, and to her regret she felt her cheeks blushing.

"I am?" she replied with a frown. The shock and the adrenaline output still seemed to blur out the pain from the small scratch on her swollen lip.

"I'm so sorry Bella. This was totally my fault." Guilt was plastered all over his face.

"No, no. I'm fine. And if it's anybody fault it's definitely mine! Some kind of instructor I've been today," she scoffed, shaking her head at herself. She struggled to untangle her hands to check out her lip herself, but her wrists were strapped to her poles, which were fixed underneath Edward. It wasn't until then that she shyly realized that she was pinned down to him, hugging him tightly. She quickly had to give up, while sending him an apologetic smile. "But I'm stuck."

Relief floated over his face, and a smile once again danced across his perfect mouth. "Here...let me" he offered, returning his warm hand to her face. Very carefully, with movements which most of all reminded her of the touch of a feather, he gently removed the snow from her lower lip and swept away the blood. His touch first made her twitch her head away a little, but honestly she wasn't really sure whether it was the pain or the electrical jolts emanating from his sweet caress that made her flinch.

"Hey, lay still," he said. Voice velvety and smooth. Bella immediately froze, and she watched him studiously as he again focused on her mouth, while he carefully examined her lip.

"There's a scratch, but it's small. I think it'll be fine. Though you'll probably have a swollen lip for a few days," he finally concluded with a relieved sigh, and looked back up into her eyes.

They were still lying close, with faces only inches apart, and it wasn't until that moment that he seemed to realize just _how close_ they really were. As his eyes locked with hers it was like she was hit by another electrical jolt, piercing from his eyes to hers, glancing downwards through her spine and all the way to her toes. Bella could easily feel the warmth radiating off of his perfect skin. Warmth not only from his face, but maybe even more springing from his tight, muscular body, pinned to the ground by her own. And she was pretty sure that he had no problems feeling her telltale heartbeat, which for some reason had gone into overdrive.

Both of them held their breath, and it was like someone had pushed the pause-button on their ski lesson movie, freezing that specific moment. Edward was the one who broke the eye-lock first, but only to move his eyes downwards to her lips, and for a second Bella thought that he was going to kiss her. But the moment was abruptly broken when a vibrating buzz suddenly started somewhere between them, and his eyes snapped back up to hers. The question in his eyes disappeared as she once again started to struggle to free her hands from the pole loops beneath him.

"Sorry...it's my cell," she moaned, becoming more and more frustrated when still not succeeding in freeing her hands. Edward finally realized that he had to lift his upper body to help her, and Bella managed to disentangle her arms so that she could slip out her cell from her pocket. While rolling over to her side, thereby freeing Edward from their close embrace, she quickly checked the ID on the display.

"It's the paramedics down at the base," she informed him and flipped it open with an apologetic smile.

"What's up. Eric?" she quickly asked, still panting a bit. Seemed she had been saved by the bell. Edward watched as a concerned expression suddenly floated over her beautiful face, and within seconds she was back on her feet.

"Is she unconscious?" Edward couldn't hear the answer, but since Bella was hastily picking up her skis, still on the phone with her left hand, he figured something serious was up.

"Okay. Call 911 immediately and ask for an ambulance, Eric. I'll be down there in two minutes." And then she hung up, slipping her boots into the ski bindings.

"I'm sorry, Edward. But there's an emergency down at the base, so I need to hurry down there. A child has been injured."

"No problem. You just go ahead. I'll be fine". Edward was back on his feet too, and was watching her intently, trying to understand why _she_ was called because of a medical emergency.

"You just follow the trail." She couldn't suppress a little smile, "Slowly!" He smiled back at her. "And when you come out of the forest, you'll have no problems finding which way to go. Just meet me down by the base, okay?" Before he had a chance to answer, she was gone.

Bella whizzed down the narrow trail, and it didn't take her more than a few minutes to get down the mountain. She immediately spotted a cluster of people at the bottom of one of the runs, and as she approached she could see the small, fragile body of a little girl about eight years old. Eric was kneeling down beside her, trying to cover her up with warm blankets. Within seconds Bella got rid of her skis, and knelt down beside the girl.

She was pale—much too pale—and obviously unconscious. Eric quickly filled her in about accident; it appeared that the girl had been hit in the chest by a runaway ski, which had been lost by someone much higher up on the slope. She had cried out loud first, complaining about pain in the chest. But instead of decreasing, the pain only intensified, and the people who had come to her aid had watched as she became even paler and more breathless, eventually losing consciousness. By now her breathing was fast and shallow, just like her pulse. Taking in the girl's condition, Bella immediately realized that she was severely injured.

"Give me the medical bag, John!" she quickly demanded. "And help me open up her jacket. I need to listen to her breath sounds." Bella would usually have waited for this step until the patient had come inside, but the girl's bad condition demanded an immediate examination. They managed to open up the jacket and lift up the girl's shirt, and Bella easily found a dark blue bruise on the right side of the chest.

"Blood pressure?" she demanded while she quickly palpated the skin. The little girl cringed at her touch. There was no doubt the rib was broken. But Bella was more worried about the shallow breathing, and with experienced hands and ears, she quickly listened to the thorax through a stethoscope. Breath sounds were weak on the right side, and the girl's respiratory rate still seemed alarmingly high.

"BP 80/40," Eric informed her, and Bella's suspicions were confirmed. This was bad. "It might be a hemothorax...How far away is the ambulance?" she quietly asked, and was relieved to hear it would get there in a few minutes.

In the meantime Edward had arrived. He was surprised to find Bella—his ski instructor—in the center of all of the action. Was she some kind of paramedic too? He moved in closer to watch her work, fascinated by her calm and professional demeanor. _Talk about having hidden talents!_

Bella turned to the girl's father, who was anxiously waiting next to them, holding his daughters hand. "You're the father?" she tentatively asked.

"Yes. What's wrong with her?" he asked, voice filled with panic.

"I'm Dr. Swan," Bella hastily informed him, "It's too early to say. We need to get her in for some more tests."

Edward's mouth dropped. _What? She's a doctor?! _His mind went back to one of the conversations he'd had with Tanya, talking about her husband's illicit relationship with a .

_So Bella is Dr. Swan? The one who's having an affair with Charles Masen?_

His heart dropped. How could this be? Until now it had been all about Bella believing that _he_ had an affair with Tanya, and now it turned out that _she _was the one sleeping with Charles!

"What's a 'hemothorax'?" the father asked nervously, returning Edward's attention back to the scene playing out in front of him. Bella's head snapped up at the father's question, surprised and dismayed that he'd obviously overheard her comment to Eric.

"Well, I don't know yet if it is a hemothorax, so let's wait and see how bad it is..." She silently cursed herself for sharing her suspicions too loudly with Eric. She should have known the father would overhear her, and there was no need to worry him before they knew for certain.

"But what is it?" he demanded to know. Bella eyed him carefully. He seemed to be quite calm, and Bella concluded that it would be wrong to keep him in the dark.

"Well... A 'hemothorax' is a collection of blood in the space between the chest wall and the lung. This can be caused by a broken rib, which has lacerated the lung or maybe an artery. It's dangerous, since the blood will eventually cause the lung to collapse and even impair the function of the heart. So I need to get her in to the clinic immediately for further tests and treatment."

The father turned pale, clutching his daughter's hand tightly.

"But I think she'll be fine, sir." She put a calming hand on his shoulder. "We just need to get her in to the clinic fast!" The father's skin had gone pallid, and for a moment she became worried that he might pass out too. But he somehow found a way to pull himself together.

Bella and Eric kept working on the girl - securing an IV and checking the vitals - and Bella was tremendously relieved when the ambulance finally arrived to the base of the mountain.

While the paramedics lifted the girl onto a gurney, and started moving her over to the ambulance, the doctor turned around and finally caught sight of Edward. Recalling their recent rather intimate encounter in the forest, Bella felt her cheeks redden.

"Good to see you found the way." She sent him a hasty, shy smile, and continued before Edward had a chance to reply: "I'm sorry, but I have to go with the ambulance. But I hope I wasn't too harsh on you, Edward, with the moguls. You did impressively well actually." Then she ran to the ambulance and jumped inside to accompany the injured girl. Doors closed behind her.

Edward just stood there, watching her disappear with the vehicle, moving away from the slopes. He was dumbstruck. He couldn't believe she hadn't told him who she was. After all the talk about honesty and trust it suddenly felt like _she_ was the one who had been lying. A confusing mixture of disappointment, anger, jealousy and sadness rose within him. Maybe pursuing her had been a huge mistake.

tbc...

* * *

**Chapter end notes:**

Hm...I'm afraid things can't be too easy for these two...;)

It might take a few weeks before the next update. Real life is kinda crazy right now... But of course; nothing accelerates my writing like a bunch of reviews. So show me some love. Then things might speed up. ;)


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors note:**

So....anybody remember this story..? You know...the one with Edward and Bella meeting in the airport, and Edward doing a project for Tanya Denali, who's married to Charles Masen, who's got cancer and being treated by Bella, who ran away from Chicago to live a quiet life in a small town in Colorado, where she also works as a ski instructor? No..?? Well, I can't blame you...It's been sooo long since the last update, so I've probably lost most of my readers by now.

But if anybody remembers I hope you'll forgive me for my absence and stick with me for a little longer...

Once again I'll have to thank my two lovely beta's - and _good friends_- Jen (aka pbswimmer) and Elke (aka Martinibaby). You know how long it's taken me to finish chapter. Thanks for you continuous support and encouragment, and for not giving up on me.

I actually thought I finished the chapter a few weeks ago, but Jen came up with a _great_ idea for the storyline, which I just _had_ to include. It only took me about three weeks to do it, and the chapter-lenght was more than doubled... *moaning* So this turned out be a monster-long chapter - my longest yet. But I hope you'll enjoy.

Finally-- as always--Stephenie owns it all. I'm just having a good time.

Here you go.

**Chapter 10:**

After the ambulance had left, Edward decided to call it a day. His lift pass was valid for a few more hours, but after the disclosure of Bella's identity, his mood had changed dramatically. The skiing had somehow lost its appeal.

He usually considered himself a pretty good judge of character. Of course he couldn't rely completely on his first-hand impressions, but getting closer to someone usually only confirmed to him what he'd already sensed during the first meeting. It was almost as if he could read people's minds. All the way through college he'd used this special gift of his, and he felt pretty sure that he'd avoided more than one disastrous relationship due to this sense of telepathy.

Unfortunately, it had not only been disastrous relationships he'd avoided. The truth was that he'd hardly had _any_ relationships.

But it was obvious that his ability had failed him during the last few encounters. First Tanya, and now apparently Bella too. How could he have been so wrong?

Actually, he wasn't so surprised about Tanya. She had all along appeared to be rather cunning in trying to reach her goals. She probably could have fooled anybody. But with Bella he'd only sensed honesty; modesty even. Could she really have deceived him on purpose? He now knew that she had seen Tanya mauling him at the airport. Why hadn't she told him that she knew Tanya? It would have been the natural thing to do, wouldn't it?

_Unless she had something to hide of course . . ._

It all added up. It certainly seemed like Bella was having an affair with Tanya's husband. At least he could now understand why she had been so dismissive when he had met her in the café; after she had seen Tanya in the car waiting for him.

It was a bit absurd that he'd almost hooked up with both of Charles Masen's women. As if the situation with Tanya wasn't complicated enough as it was.

As he slid off the skis and loosened the tight boots, his eyes caught sight of a pair of green gloves and a matching scarf lying on the snow. Recognizing them as Bella's, Edward found himself automatically tramping over in his boots to scoop them up. She'd probably lost them as they were loading the little girl into the ambulance. The feel of the soft gloves and the scarf in his grasp pulled his thoughts back to what kind of day they had just spent together.

It had been a _good_ day. Actually a _very good_ day. It had been a long time since he had felt so comfortable around a woman. She had been fun and charming, and she seemed to possess a refreshing sweetness contrasting completely to Tanya's undisguised seduction. He was pretty sure Bella had no clue how attractive she was to men . . . how appealing she was to _him_.

A smile appeared on his lips and smoothed out the worried wrinkles on his forehead. He'd loved how she'd seen through his little charade, and how she had matched him step-for-step, putting him in his place with a quick-witted turnabout. He almost started laughing again when thinking of that disastrous moment –when he'd realized that he'd been busted; when she had mercilessly lured him into a trap with the moguls. Even though he had probably looked like a clumsy fool, and just about every muscle was now aching –_was there really such a pronounced muscle under the curve of both ass-cheeks?_ –he had loved every second of it.

But without a doubt the highlight of the day had been the magical moment when they, after the crash, had ended up face to face in a heap of snow, their bodies flush to each other, closely entangled. He still remembered the chills running down his spine when their eyes had locked and he'd become lost in her startled chocolate pools, beautiful and exposed.

Once he had careened full-force into her shield, she had finally had lowered it down, seeming to trust him with her vulnerability. And he'd been met by a deep melancholy which intrigued him immensely. He was aching to get to know the secrets behind her sadness. He couldn't remember _ever_ having been so attracted to a woman, and if it wasn't for that damned cell phone which had starting ringing, he probably would have kissed her. The moment had been almost magical.

Slowly lifting the scarf and gloves to his face, he inhaled her lingering scent. He could easily identify her intoxicating fragrance, a bouquet of vanilla and strawberry. He could get high on this scent.

Even though he was upset at her for not coming clean with him straight away, he had to admit that the dominating feeling right now was not anger, but rather . . . disappointment? He had a bereft feeling that he'd lost something precious. All his instincts had initially told him that he could trust this girl. Could there be another explanation for all of this? He so wished there could be. Maybe he should have given her a chance to explain herself? Ending his pensive moment, he grimaced as he lifted his skis to one sore shoulder, and carted them off to his rental car.

* * *

Bella's eyes quickly scanned the dimly lit waiting room, searching for the little girl's parents. It was six in the evening and the waning twilight filtered into the room through the darkening windows. Bella was still wearing her scrubs. Coming straight from the operating room, with reddened cheeks and hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, her fatigue was obvious.

The nervous couple, who had been waiting impatiently during the last few hours, caught sight of her and quickly approached her.

"The operation was successful. Jane will be fine." Bella sent the young parents a reassuring smile. "We managed to locate the perforation, and stop the bleeding. She's stable now, but still in the ICU, recovering."

"Thank God." The man heaved a sigh of relief, while turning to his wife by his side. The young mother could not suppress a quiet sob, as her husband hugged her tightly.

"She's just about to wake up. You should go see her. Go through the doors, then to the right," she instructed, pointing to the entrance of the ICU. "Dr. Clearwater will come talk to you a little later."

The couple quickly thanked her, before they hastened towards the automatic sliding doors. Bella sighed, looking after them. A content and tired smile lingered on her lips as she watched the parents hurry to their daughter.

This moment was the good part about being a doctor –the days when she really believed she made a difference. That little girl would probably have died today if Bella hadn't been out there in the slope.

Jane's breathing had deteriorated immensely during the trip to the hospital. So fast that Bella'd been forced to start reducing pressure in the lungs en route.

The little girl had turned dangerously pale, her lips increasingly bluish, indicating an extremely low oxygen level in the blood. Fluid had been pooling in the lungs, impairing the function of both heart and lungs, and Bella had had no choice but to insert a syringe into the little girl' thorax to draw out some of the blood while they had sped down snowy roads.

A pleuracentesis was a dangerous procedure under these circumstances, but there had been no other way. The blood draw had helped immediately, but Bella had known the improvement was only temporary, and that the girl would need surgery instantly upon arriving to the clinic. Severe cases like these would usually have been transferred to a larger hospital near by, but Bella realized there wouldn't be time for a transferal. So they would be forced to perform the operation at the clinic. Fortunately Harry Clearwater —their experienced surgeon —was on call at the clinic that day, and Bella had called him during the ambulance ride to make sure he and the rest of the surgery team were standing ready when she arrived with the patient.

Everything had gone smoothly after that. Jane had been brought to the O.R. straight away, and Bella had assisted during the operation. The tear in the pleura wasn't large, but a small artery had been sheared during the fall on the slopes, causing massive bleeding into the lung. Once they had located the source of the bleeding, it had been easy to stabilize the little girl's condition.

A melancholic mood swept over Bella. It had been a while since she'd assisted with acute operations like the one finished moments ago. Coming to think about it, she hadn't scrubbed in since her residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago more than two years ago.

Even though she hated admitting it, she couldn't deny that she missed working in a hospital. She missed the adrenaline rush flowing from the action and suspense formerly filling her days in the emergency room. She and her colleagues used to joke about how none of them needed bungee jumping, sky diving or other action-filled activities during their leisure time; they had plenty of adrenaline-kicks just getting through their shifts in the ER. She had loved it —and hated it at the same time.

She loved the thrill of holding a patient's life in her trembling hands; she craved the excitement of really making a difference. After all these years in med school, it just felt so rewarding and fulfilling finally to be out there actually helping people.

But the frenetic pace was rough. And the price had been high. Much too high. Constantly sleep-deprived, exhausted, and with non-stop demands from everyone around her about being sharp, effective, and precise, she had repeatedly questioned herself. She had begun to doubt whether she had what it took to do this career. She still felt shameful and weak when thinking about how she had let herself believe the lies that the amphetamine would help her—could give her an edge—and make her fast and observant.

Well . . . the drug actually _did_ help in the beginning. She still remembered the fantastic feeling of being strong and on top of things, believing that the nurses could bring her _anything_ on that gurney, and she would still be in control.

Maybe it would have stayed like that if it hadn't been for that particular shift when there had been a major car-crash on the highway. In less than twenty minutes the shift had turned from a lazy, quiet evening to the worst nightmare she'd ever endured, with thirteen compound trauma victims arriving at the same time. The ER had been chaos. They were understaffed as it was, but the ambulances had just kept coming It had been awful. She'd doubled the amphetamine dose that evening, just to get through the shift. But the increase in dose backfired on her, causing her already trembling hands to start shaking violently.

She really should have gone home right there and then. She was in no condition to work. But how could she leave when seriously injured patients just kept coming, and there was no-one to step in for her? Of course she couldn't! So instead she did what she had to do. The only thing she _could_ do. She had injected a small dose of morphine to calm her down. Just a small dose to soothe her nerves. But it had worked perfectly; resulting in a fantastic feeling of being both sharp _and_ calm at the same time.

She got through the shift. But she soon realized the the nightmarish shift wasn't a one-time occasion. This was just how it was being a resident in an ER. The traumas, the patients, and the shifts just kept coming and coming, only serving to increase her need for the drugs. _But hey . . . she wasn't an addict!_ She could stop any time! But why should she? She had let herself believe these lies for much to long. Actually right until that dreadful day . . .

She silently shivered, closing her eyes. _No!_ She couldn't let her thoughts go back there again. The shame and regret had almost killed her once already. She couldn't allow herself to sucked back into the shadows again.

Forcefully, she managed to push the dark thoughts away, bringing herself back to present time again.

This had been a _good _day! She'd been out skiing with the most gorgeous man—_who's way out of your league, Bella!_ she reminded herself—ut she had enjoyed every minute of it, and couldn't help hoping that by some miracle, he still wanted to see her.

As she turned to mind back to the charting she needed to take care of after the surgery, she was surprised by the sight of a familiar figure sitting in the farthest corner of the otherwise empty waiting room. Recognizing the tall, well-shaped man with the characteristic messy, bronze-coloured hair, and the piercing green eyes, her heart skipped a beat. Speak of the devil! Or angel, in his case.

She had been sorry to leave him prematurely this afternoon. The sight of him there stirred something inside of her; something good. Observing his long eyelashes feathering below closed eyelids, his serene facial expression, and his slumped body position, she discerned that he was obviously sleeping. Bella couldn't help wonder how long he'd been resting there.

She slowly made her way over to him.

"Hey," she greeted with a shy smile, wondering if he was merely cat-napping.

No reaction.

She noticed her gloves and scarf lying in his lap, and she realized that she must have dropped them before climbing into the ambulance. His ski jacket was lying on the chair next to him, but he was still wearing his blue ski pants and a grey turtle-neck sweater, which fit him snugly, emphasizing his muscular and well-proportioned chest.

As he was slouched there sleeping, with his head resting against the wall behind him, he most of all reminded her of a sleeping Greek statue. His skin was pale and flawless. Someone else would probably have been snoring or dribbling in their sleep, but not Edward. He was perfect. _It should be illegal to be that beautiful!_ She had to muster all of her strength not to reach out and touch his ivory-coloured chin.

Instead she tried again a little louder: "Edward . . . ?"

He finally stirred, eyes flickering open. For a moment he looked a little confused, obviously taken back by her sudden appearance right in front of him. He quickly rubbed his eyes with his long, slender fingers, composing himself after his nap.

She sent him a cautious smile. "Sorry I woke you up."

"No, it's fine. It wasn't very comfortable anyway." His voice was hoarse after being asleep. He massaged his neck, sending her a crooked smile.

"Looks like you've had a rough day. I hope that cruel ski instructor of yours didn't give you a hard time?" She couldn't suppress a little smirk. "As a beginner you gotta remember to take it easy."

"Well . . . it seemed like this particular ski instructor believed in other methods . . ."He grimaced in pain as he straightened up in the seat, feeling a radiating ache from his back muscles in particular. "It's okay . . . I'l probably be fine again in two or three months," he grunted.

"Hm . . . you should have been more careful when picking your instructor."

Edward snorted: "Yeah, maybe I should have been. I thought I couldn't go wrong choosing the prettiest one."

Bella sent him a gleeful glance. "Yeah . . . right. Well . . . appearances can be deceptive, you know."

"Apparently . . . " Remembering his discovery about her identity, he nodded. _Had he been deceived by this beautiful woman? _

She grinned smugly. "I recall from our very first conversation in the airport that you thought I would probably find it most entertaining watching a clumsy fool like yourself stumble down the slopes. I must say you delivered well!"

"I'm happy my stumbling entertained you." He sent her a wry smile, but before Bella managed to come up with a witty reply, he eagerly continued.

"How did it go with the girl? Is she okay? They told me you were operating when I got here."

"She's fine now. We had some complications, but she pulled through just fine."

"Good –the parents have been waiting impatiently. They seemed pretty upset."

"Yeah. I really can't blame them. I would have been a mess too. I just sent them in to be with their daughter."

Edward looked down, and caught sight of her gloves and scarf in his lap. "You dropped these on the ski run." He handed them over to her. "I thought I'd bring them over."

"Ah . . . thanks. That was kind of you. I hadn't even realized I'd lost them yet." She carefully folded the scarf, and put the gloves on top. "You could have just left them at the front desk, you know. Would have saved you the wait."

"That's no problem. I didn't have any other plans anyway . . . " Edward hesitated a moment, before he decided to take the plunge."So I guess this is where to find you, when you're not on the slopes, _Doctor_ Swan?"

To Bella's surprise the question came out a bit harsh, his eyes suddenly . . . fierce? The lightness of the conversation had abruptly changed.

"Yeah . . . this is my side job. Wages are pretty bad at the ski resort, so I had to find myself a night job to pay the rent." She knew the joke was lame, but she didn't understand his sudden change of demeanour, and tried to hold on to the easy banter for a bit longer.

"No seriously, Bella. Why didn't you tell me who you are?"

"What do you mean; _who_ I am?"

"Well, considering everything, I wonder why you didn't tell me that you knew Tanya Denali."

Bella frowned. "Tanya Denali? Of course I know her. Everybody knows her here. Her husband practically owns the town."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"I . . . I don't know" she shrugged evasively. "It just didn't come up, I guess."

"So you only know Tanya and her husband from afar?"

Bella sent him a scrutinizing gaze. Why did it all of a sudden feel like he was somehow _interrogating_ her?

"I don't know Tanya very well. But Charles Masen is my employer, and he's also a good friend to me."_ And my patient dying of cancer!_ she silently reminded herself, crying inside.

Edward sensed she was withholding something, and he silently urged her to continue.

"Charles has been amazing to me, actually. I'd been through some rough times before coming here, and

Charles helped me out immensely. I was . . . um . . . I was kind of a mess at that point. Charles saw it, and he took care of me."

Edward sensed some of the shadows he'd gotten a glimpse of earlier that day returning to her eyes, darkening their lovely brown color.

"So he's only your _friend_?" he asked, emphasizing the last word carefully.

"Of course." She looked at him uncomprehendingly. "What do you mean?" Bella was growing increasingly annoyed with his cross examination. _Why did he appear so abruptly suspicious?_

"I, um, I heard that you two were . . . pretty close."

"Yes, we've become quite close. Charles has sort of been the father I've always missed. I love that man."

Her statement was heartfelt and sincere. If she wasn' telling the truth, then she certainly was a brilliant actor. Edward was studying her incredulously, contemplating her her, there was no doubt; she was definitely telling the truth. He actually couldn't believe he'd ever questioned her integrity.

Bella's eyes suddenly widened in disbelief. "Are you implying that Charles and I are _more_ than friends?"

Shock shot through her like a current. What kind of accusation was this? Her delicate facial features reflected a sense of betrayal. How could he believe she' been involved with a married man?

Edward shrinked under her appalled gaze. "Erm . . . well . . ." But Bella interrupted before he'd even decided how to answer her pointed question.

"So when you asked who I was, you were actually implying that I was Charles' _mistress_?" Her cheeks were now aflame with righteous indignation. How could anyone think this lowly of Charles? Or of her for that matter? Bella looked truly aghast from the allegations.

Edward wished the earth could somehow swallow him up.

"Where does this come from, Edward? Those are pretty serious accusations."

"Um . . . well . . . I'm sorry. Somebody, uh, might have suggested that something was going on between you and Charles." He couldn't remember having blushed this much since . . . well . . . _ever!_ How could he have ever doubted her? Because of something Tanya had said? Jeez . . . he couldn't believe his own stupidity.

"Somebody who? Oh . . . "Bella's face fell. "Of course." She quickly discerned the source of this accusation. "Tanya told you this, didn't she? Wow . . ."

She abruptly sat down, looking stunned. Suddenly realizing that she was in a public setting, the doctor stole a glance around the waiting room. Fortunately no one else was there.

"Well I knew she had something against me, but I had never imagined that it was this bad. So she's accusing me of sleeping with her husband? Christ . . . this is kinda overwhelming."

She couldn't believe it. So this was why Tanya had been so dismissive of her all of this time. She had believed she was her husband' mistress! Or, had Tanya knowingly made a false accusation, in order to lure Edward in closer; to get into his pants? Or perhaps Tanya had spun a tale in order to justify her own adultery? It was so difficult knowing what was going on in Tanya's twisted mind. This could very well just be another brick in the wall of games she built around her.

Bella was overwhelmed by contradictory feelings. Anger was probably most prominent, but she also felt sad, betrayed, and maybe there was a little . . . guilt? She knew she'd become close to Charles, and that there was a special bond between them. Thinking about it, Bella had to admit that it wasn't that difficult understanding how her close relationship with Charles could create jealousy in the man' wife. She could have slapped herself for not realizing that potential sooner.

Her eyes drifted around the room while processing the new information until a quiet moan brought her attention back to Edward.

To her surprise she found him attempting to stand, fixed in a awkward stooped position, with his right hand pressed to his lower back and the other hand supporting his weight against the rim of the closest chair. His face was distorted with pain, and another groan escaped his lips. He'd tried to get up from the chair, but had been stopped half way up by a sudden sharp pain in his lower back.

Bella rushed over to him, all dark thoughts about Tanya and Charles momentarily vanished.

"What's wrong?"

"I . . . agh . . . I'm sorry . . . my _back!_" he managed to choke out. "It appears I can't straighten it up . . . "

He slowly tried erecting himself again, but soon had to give up. "Oh . . . that hurts."

"Easy . . ." she coaxed, while resting her hand on top of his on his back. "_This_ is where it hurts?"

"Yeah . . ." Small drops of sweat were forming on his forehead. He was still standing halfway bent over, unable to move neither up nor down.

"Let me have a look, Edward." she cautiously instructed, once again turning on her doctor-mode.

He grudgingly removed his hand, giving her access to the area. Bella carefully lifted the grey sweater a few inches, exposing the lower part of his lean, muscular back. His skin was ice cold. The muscles were cramped and extremely tight over the sacroiliac joint.

"Any radiation of the pain down the leg or anywhere else?"

"No. It's only there."

"Did you hurt your back while skiing?" Despite the excruciating pain he couldn't help but be pleased by the concern in her voice.

"Only about a dozen times," he sarcastically choked out, sending her a wry smile.

"_Jeez_ . . . This my fault, Edward. I'm _so_ sorry." The guilt was plastered all over her face. "I can't believe I took you on that moguls run."

Now it was his turn feeling guilty. "Bella . . . " He groped behind him to rest a hand on her arm. "I was only kidding. I was fine after the skiing today. I was actually fine until just now. I think I must have been sitting in a awkward position while sleeping or something." His piercing green eyes locked with hers, refusing her to look away, once again disarming her completely. It really wasn't fair using these kind of tricks against her.

"Erm . . . I don't know . . . " She looked at him dubiously, and finally managed to tear away her gaze. "Anyway . . . we need to get you into an exam room, so that I can properly check out your back. Will you let me do that?"

"Of course."

She looked around the waiting room, obviously searching for something. "Can you hold it there for a minute, Edward? I need to find a wheelchair."

"Actually I don't think I can do anything else," he chuckled. "My back is sort of locked up." He was still halfway standing, stooped over, like an old man leaning over his cane. Despite the pain he couldn't help find the situation a bit comical. "I won' be going _anywhere_, I promise."

She sent him a soothing smile before she ran off. When she returned a minute later, he hadn't moved an inch. She quickly placed the wheelchair right behind him, and carefully locked it.

"Okay Edward. I want you to try and sit down now. Do you think you can manage that? I know it hurts . . ."

"I'll try . . . I usually have a high threshold for pain, so . . ." He took a deep breath, and then carefully lowered down his athletic body into the chair, clenching his teeth. He let out a sigh of relief as he finally leaned back against the wheelchair' seat.

"Thanks."

"Good. Okay, an exam room is just down the hall." She quickly wheeled him through the waiting area.

"Have you experienced anything like this before?"

"Just once. A few years ago. After helping my brother and his wife moving into their new house. It only took two days in bed and almost a whole bottle of ibuprofen" he added with a self-pitying groan.

"Hm . . . let' hope it' not that bad this time then."

They entered the exam room, and she wheeled him over to the examination table in the middle of room. With some grunting and groaning, Edward managed to extricate himself from the wheelchair and relocate onto the table, sitting in a hunched-over position.

Bella stood by the table. Wearing her scrubs she looked very doctor-like and professional. "Your shirt," she said, pointing to his grey sweater."It has to come off."

"Right . . . " He cautiously started removing his sweater. For some reason he all of a sudden felt self-conscious about undressing in front of Bella. Not that he hadn't fantasized about _her_ removing his shirt in his dreams. Actually she had usually removed _much more_ than just his shirt . . . He felt himself blush recalling glimpses of the last daydream.

_Her delicate hands roamed over his chest, palpating his pectorals and his nibbles. Her fingers, warm and sensitive, carefully explored every inch of his torso, and slowly made their way down his stomach. Her touch instinctively caused his body to redirect the circulation of the blood towards more southern parts of his anatomy. He felt charges of electricity running down his spine, making him tremble with excitement . . . he closed his eyes and moaned in pleasure, as her hands unbuckled his pants and . . ._

"Is it cold in here, Edward? You're shivering."

"Uh . . . no . . . sorry. It's fine." He felt himself redden with embarrassment. _Focus, Cullen! It's just a medical examination! Get your head out of the gutter!_

"Do you need help with the shirt?"

"_No!_ I can manage. Thanks." He finally slid off the shirt, and was annoyed to see his skin all goosey after his little diversion.

Bella had placed herself on the other side of the table, behind his back.

"Okay. Let me have a look first."

Having examined hundreds, or maybe even thousands of patients, this really shouldn't have been much of a deal.

_A back is a back, right?_

But for some reason Bella found it quite difficult keeping her habitual professional attitude, when surveying the man in front of her. His skin was pale and flawless like ivory marble. She couldn't help but admire his broad shoulders, the V-shaped chest and slim waist, which more than anything looked like a professional swimmer' body. The back muscles were distinct and well-formed. Not too beefy, but athletic and well-proportioned.

Forcing herself onward with the examination, she systematically palpated his back, checking out the muscles, ligaments and the countless joints along the spinal column. He felt just as smooth and firm as she'd expected. _Nice . . . _

But as she continued her examination, she finally found was she had been seeking. The lowest parts of the right longissimus muscle felt like a cramped, taught rope. There was no doubt this had to be the source of the pain. The skin was ice cold over the place, and Bella suspected that he'd been sitting in a draft, when he'd been sleeping in the waiting room.

"_This_ is were it hurts, right?" she asked, massaging the area gently with her right thumb. Her left hand was resting on his left shoulder.

"Agh . . . uh . . . ouch . . . yeah, right there," he whimpered, struggling to stay still. It didn't make Bella stop though, and he almost jumped off the table from her probing touch. "Agh . . . I thought you were done with the torture for the day, ma'am?"

A giggle formed on Bella's lips and she leaned down towards his left ear.

"Sorry, Edward. But I'm definitely not done with you yet. You need a cross-friction massage. And it's _Doctor_ by the way," she added with a smirk. Standing behind him without being able to see his face she suddenly felt bolder and cheekier.

"Sorry, _Doctor_," he grinned. "But did you say a massage?"

"Um-hmm . . . Would that be okay with you?"

"Well, I guess that depends on your intentions, Doctor!"

"Oh, I can assure you that my intentions are strictly professional, Mr. Cullen."

"Oh . . . only professional? What a shame," he sulked. "But if your 'strictly professional' massage can put me on my feet again, I guess I'm in for it."

"Clever boy. But then you need to lie down. On your stomach, please."

Together they cautiously turned him over. He still had trouble straightening out his hips, but with Bella's help he finally managed to lower himself down on his stomach. She tucked a blanket around him, making sure to keep him warm. The only exposed skin was the lower part of his back over the sacroiliac joint, the location of the cramped muscle.

Standing beside the table Bella carefully started massaging the sore muscle. Initially she was only stroking the skin, warming it up. Edward released a soft moan, clearly enjoying the feeling of her soft, gentle hands on his back. Gradually she increased the pressure as she thoroughly worked her way through the tense tissue. Edward's moans of pleasure was gradually replaced by groans of pain.

"Wow. That muscle is just _one big_ knot."

Edward's only response was another plaintive groan.

"Sorry, Edward . . . I think you must have been sitting in a draft when sleeping in the waiting room.

Coldness can cause the muscles to seize up like that, especially after a tough day on the slopes."

"I thought that only happened to old people. Though I _feel _pretty old right now . . ."

"Nope, it can happen to anyone. Even professional athletes." _Or men with professional athlete bodies._

"How come you know how to do this? Massage isn't part of the regular training at med-school, is it?"

"No . . . no, it's not. But we have a lot of sports injuries here, so I've had some special training in physical rehabilitation. Comes in handy once in a while."

"Apparently."

Trying to divert his attention away from her merciless hands she went on.

"So tell me about your brother?"

"My brother? Well . . . Emmett is a few years older than me. He's a mechanic; got his own business. He hated school and had some pretty wild years during high school, but he eventually calmed down, and is doing really well now. Especially since he met Rosalie—that's his wife."

He held brief pause, while Bella moved unto the other side of the table to get a better angle on the left part of the muscle. The tension was slowly releasing.

"Do they have any kids?"

"Yes. Three boys. One eight-year-old and four-year-old twins. Good kids. Well actually, sometimes it seems like Rosalie's got _four_ boys; Emmett being the fourth one!" Edward chuckled. "He can be a little childlike . . . in a good way. Everybody likes Emmett. He's really outgoing and easy to get along with. Not complicated at all. "

"Sounds like a good brother."

"He is! I love him to bits. Even though we're quite different. I've always been the quiet and nerdy type, while he's much louder and more direct. What you see is what you get."

"So you're the quiet, nerdy guy?" she replied with a smirk and lift of the eyebrows. "_Really_?"

"Aagghh . . . ," he winced, as her hands found a particular sore knot. "Well . . . yeah . . . sort of . . . "

"Hmm . . . I somehow find that hard to believe."

"God, you're killing me there," he cried. She was relentlessly kneading the hard muscle knot; not giving into his whimpering.

"Didn't you say you have a high threshold for pain?"

"Well I did—ntil _you_ came around!"

"Aw . . . poor boy. You'll be happy to hear that the worst part is almost over then."

"Thank God."

Having worked her way through all of the hard muscle knots, loosening them up, she ended the massage as she started, with long, soft strokes all up and down his back.

"Aww . . . hmm . . . now _that_ feels good." Edward's skin was going all goosey again, as the blissful feeling pervaded his body.

Bella chuckled. "Well, good to know I've not been torturing you the whole time."

"No. . . Not the whole time," he grinned.

"There you go. We're finished. Now try see if you can get up."

Edward carefully slid over on his side, and surprisingly easily succeeded in hoisting himself up into a sitting position on the table. He cautiously bent forward, and then backwards, followed by similar movements to the sides. Surprise was plastered all over his face.

"Wow! That was amazing! I'm still a bit sore, but I can move freely again now. You've got magical hands, Bella! Thank you!"

"My pleasure!" Bella replied with a content smile. _It had definitely been a pleasure!_ She was now sitting on a swivel chair beside the table. "It was the least I could do after that outrageous lesson today."

Edward looked at her with a mischievous smile. "Well considering everything, I actually think I picked the _perfect_ ski instructor. I could get used to this."

"Don't get your hopes up. I can assure you this is not part of the usual ski instructor services." Bella suppressed a chuckle, and sent him a reproving glance. "But I'm happy you've forgiven me. I still can't believe I took you to the moguls! I'm usually a nice person!"

"Yeah, I think so too," he replied, all of a sudden completely serious. "Listen, Bella. I'm so sorry about the mess with Tanya, and her allegations. That was not right of me."

Bella hesitated a moment, biting her lower lip. Edward couldn't help think how gorgeous she looked.

"Okay. . . But what about you, Edward? What do _you _think? You believe her?" The melancholic look had returned to her beautiful face, but he also noticed a fiery anger, telling him she wouldn't forgive him easily for the accusation. "Do you think I'm an adulterer?"

"No, Bella." He calmly shook his head, and looked straight into her eyes. "I don't. I got confused for a while there. I'm _so sorry_." He took a deep breath before he went on. "But please tell me: why didn't you let on about knowing Tanya in the first place? It felt a bit like you were hiding your connection with Masen."

Bella realized he was right. Why hadn't she told him? She really didn't know. It had just turned out like that. Maybe she had been hiding it, trying to find out what was going on. Maybe she was afraid to reveal her function as his doctor. Maybe she just liked the idea of just being _Bella the ski instructor_, and not for once?

"Honestly I'm not really sure, Edward. I was so confused by the whole situation. It was quite disturbing seeing Tanya with you, and I didn't really know what to do. You know . . . with Charles being my friend, and Tanya apparently messing around with another man; a man who simultaneously invited me out and everything. It was such a mess. Thought I'd just keep the whole thing on the down low until I decided what to do about it."

Edward suddenly burst out in laughter. Bella looked at him with surprise. She had no idea what could be funny right now.

"What?"

"We're some couple aren't we? Both of us believing the other one is playing around with a married person."

His laughter was contagious, and he was so right. The whole situation was kind of hilarious and Bella found herself giggling along. But she'd also noticed that he'd said 'couple'. Of course she was very well aware that he didn't mean couple as in '_couple_' . . . but still . . . she liked the sound of it.

Edward aimed his beseeching gaze in her direction. "You think there's a chance we could start all over? Just forget about Tanya and Charles, and take it from square one?"

She looked at him for a long moment, pondering his pleas for a fresh start. It was definitely tempting. Despite his accusations she really liked this guy. And, she had to admit that she'd been accusing him of exactly the same thing.

Sensing her inner deliberations, he sent her another one of these dazzling, irresistible smiles. It was really unfair. _A girl doesn't stand a chance against that smile! _

Acknowledging her defeat she finally replied "Okay, Edward. We can start all over. On one condition though."

"And that being . . . ?"

"That you'll do the moguls with me again sometime."

Edward burst out in laughter. "Whoa! Those are rough terms."He tapped one long finger to his chin. "And if my back locks up again after the moguls? Do I get another massage from the doctor?"

Pleased by his comeback, she arched one eyebrow. "That would be doctor's orders, yes."

He grinned. "Then I'm in. Deal."

tbc . . .

**Chapter end notes:**

Anybody still with me? I hope so. And I hope you'll write me a line or two telling me what you think. As I've only said about a thounsand times before; my muse depends on these reviews! So please leave me a short review!!!

And last but not least: I would like to wish all of my lovely readers a _**Happy New Year!!**_I hope you've enjoyed the holidays, and that the new year will bring you lots of happiness and joy! Hugs. Vamplicious.


	11. Chapter 11

Authors note:

Time for some 'Interference' again, people.

I planned this chapter to be much longer, but unfortunately real life interfered with my schedule again.

*shaking fist at rl*

So to avoid too much waiting-time for you guys, I figured I might as well post what I got so far.

A huge thanks to LuvCullens for pimping my fic!! I got a whole bunch of new readers after your recommendations. Thanks_** so**_ much! I owe you big time!

Also thanks to pbswimmer and Martinibaby1 for your super-speedy and excellent beta'ing. I _love_ what you do to my chapters!

As always: Stephenie owns Edward and Bella. I'm just playing with them.

Here ya go.

* * *

Edward again said, "Honestly Bella. It's no problem. I've got a rental car, and it will be a pleasure driving you home."

He and Bella were standing in the foyer of the clinic. She had given him a quick tour, and he'd been very impressed.

Calling it a 'clinic' appeared to be an understatement. With an inpatient unit of fifteen beds, a small emergency department, an operating room, and a minor ICU, in addition to all the facilities for outpatient treatment, it would have been more appropriate to call it a local 'hospital'. But Charles Masen was a generous man, one who refused to allow himself to be bogged down by worrying about turning a profit — not when there were lives to be saved. Since this medical center served his own hometown, he had built it on a grand scale.

"Are you sure?" she reluctantly asked, even though she felt all giddy inside when flashes of Edward joining her in front of her fireplace, playing footsies while sipping a hot drink in the glow of the fire, started popping up in her mind.

"I'm sure. I'm at your service, ma'am." Edward bent at the waist with what was supposed to have been an honourable bow, but ended up looking more like an awkward gymnastics move.

"Ow . . . " he struggled to right himself, groaning, "That didn't go quite as planned."

"Careful, Edward. You still need to take it easy. No unnecessary sudden moves." Bella sent him a worried look as she placed her slender hand on his upper arm. Despite the pain from his back —and several layers of clothing items between them — her touch seemed to initiate a tingling sensation of pure pleasure skittering all over his body, and he had to suppress an overwhelming urge to grab her and tug her closer.

"Maybe you should lean on me, when we go outside. The parking lot is pretty icy at the moment, and I don't want you to fall." She casually lifted his arm and draped it over her own shoulders, sending him a bashful smile.

Oh, she was _good._

"Doctor's orders?" he grinned, afraid that his obvious pleasure was showing too easily.

"Hmm . . . seems so," she shyly replied, carefully making sure not to meet his eyes. He couldn't help but notice the faint blush creeping up her creamy, soft cheeks. _Gosh, she's adorable!_ He could gaze at her face for hours . . .

"Right . . . "Edward realized he was still staring at her, and finally managed to tear away his gaze. _Stop acting like a stalker, idiot!_ "Uh . . . Let's get to the car then."

The couple exited the clinic and carefully walked towards the few cars left in the parking lot. He was overwhelmingly conscious of her thigh brushing against his with every second step, and he tried to ignore the budding arousal her touch created in his body.

It was dark outside and very cold. Fortunately they were both wearing their warm ski outfits. For some reason the parking lot lights had not yet come on, but the crescent moon was on its slow ascent, casting a dim, bluish sheen over the scenery. Edward was surprised to see how much the snow lit up everything with a magical, mysterious glow.

With the clinic located on a small plateau on the side of the mountain, they had a good view over the little town and valley of Beaver Creek. The ambient light from the houses and street lights seemed to be competing with the stars for the most intense sparkle award.

Edward all of a sudden stopped — stunned. "Wow . . . "

"What?" Bella looked up at him, and found he was enthralled by the glittering black sky.

"Look at the stars!"

The sky was clear, and myriads of sparkling stars were spread out over the vault of heaven above. Bella identified a few of the constellations she'd learned to recognize since she'd moved here. It seemed like the stars were luminously dazzling them with a renewed intensity this evening.

"Yes . . . They're amazing. It's a much better view out here, away from the Chicago city lights." She could feel the heat emanating from his firm body. He felt seductively warm, and she instinctively found herself drawing closer, hoping he wouldn't notice. Trying to distract him — or maybe really trying to distract herself — she searched for a diversion before she did something foolish like slipping her hand under his clothes, touching his firm, hot skin.

"Do you know the constellations, Edward?" _Christ! What a pathetic line, Bella! _

"Well, I know Sirius and Big Bear, but other than that I'm pretty clueless." For some incomprehensible reason, he didn't seem to mind her silly question. She could ask him about his favorite brand of toilet paper for all he cared, just as long as she was intimately close, nestled up next to him on a cold winter night.

"Okay . . . let me show you then." She snuggled closer to him, their faces now less than an inch apart as they admired the view above them. She was painfully aware how near his luscious lips were to her own, but she somehow managed to be coherent enough to point out a particular constellation. "You see those five stars there, formed like a W?"

Still smitten by her sudden closeness, Edward only managed to choke out a stifled grunt. "Uh . . . " Was it the thin air of high altitude or was it her thin body making him feel high?

"That's 'Cassiopeia'. According to the Greek myths she was a beautiful but very vain princess, who married the widowed King Kefeus. Kefeus had a daughter, Andromeda. That's the constellation of eight stars right next to it." Bella pointed to the grouping of eight stars, in the shape of a wing."You see those?"

"It's V-shaped, right?"

"'Yes. 'Andromeda' isn't as conspicuous as 'Cassiopeia' in the night sky, but the myth claimed that Andromeda's beauty surpassed Cassiopeia's by far. Cassiopeia felt threatened by her new husband's beautiful daughter. To get rid of her, Cassiopeia had Andromeda chained naked to a rock on the coast, so that a sea monster would come get her."

"Yikes!" He gave a look of feigned horror. Still enjoying her overwhelming proximity, he urged her to go on. "So then what happened?"

"Well, what Cassiopeia didn't know was that the sea monster was actually a bewitched prince named Phineus, whose only chance of having his curse lifted was to be kissed by a naked virgin. Lucky for them both, Phineus managed to gradually gain Andromeda's trust. When he finally got his kiss, he changed back into his glorious human form again. Needless to say that the two of them fell in love and lived happily ever after."

She sent him one of those divine smiles which made his heart flutter.

"And what happened to Cassiopeia?"

She pondered for a while. "I'm not really sure. I don't think the myth ever went on to say what happened to her. Hopefully she got what she deserved."

Listening to the story, Edward could not help but compare Cassiopeia to Tanya. Though Bella was not a real daughter to Charles, it seemed that they had a sweet father-daughter dynamic between them, one that made Tanya feel threatened. Edward wondered if maybe Tanya—like Cassiopeia—was trying to get rid of Bella? Would Bella have her _happily ever after_ as in the myth? And would Tanya get what she deserved as well?

Bringing his mind back to earth, Edward suggested with an infectious chuckle, "Maybe they found Cassiopeia her own sea monster?"

"Maybe!" she giggled sweetly. Her adorable smile made him want to lean his head down to her, craving for a kiss on those delicious full lips.

There was a pause, and neither of them seemed to want the moment to end. Just before it started to feel awkward, Bella looked at the sky again and went on:

"You see the brightest of the stars in Andromeda?" Bella took his hand, and guided his index finger to point out a particular star. "That's the Andromeda _galaxy_. You should see it in a proper telescope. It's pretty amazing." _I have a __telescope in the cabin by the way. __Feel free to come and see anytime!_ Bella mentally rolled her eyes at her own ridiculous thoughts.

Feeling her warm face, so close to his own, and her soft hand enveloping his hand, Edward found it rather difficult concentrating on what she was actually saying. "Um . . . A galaxy . . . ?"

"Yes. It's the brightest galaxy in the northern hemisphere . . . except for our own galaxy of course." Her hand drew an invisible line across the night sky. "Oh, look! There's the Milky Way."

As their eyes grew increasingly accustomed to the darkness, it seemed like new stars kept emerging, and a broad, white belt of stars now stood out across the sky. The pale band of light made it easy to understand why it had been named the 'Milky Way'. It was breathtaking.

"I don't think I've _ever_ seen the Milky Way so clearly before. It's never like this in Chicago."

Edward's eyes dropped to the young woman beside him, noting her flawless profile. He was once again distracted by her physical proximity. Her sparkling hazel eyes continued to admire the night sky, and it was like he couldn't get enough of her mesmerizing organic beauty and charm. Her facial features were classical and serene, and the melancholy was almost gone now, replaced by a glittering glow that seemed to emanate from within her.

Standing so close to her, he could easily smell her interwoven vanilla and strawberry fragrance, and once again he wondered whether this intoxicating bouquet was her perfume or simply her natural scent. It was like his very own brand of heroin.

Bella replied, "No, the city is too bright. You have to get away from the large cities into the country-side to really get a good look at the constellations. Have you ever seen such a beautiful view . . . ?"

"No, I don't think I have." Edward's eyes were still fixed on the young woman beside him, and he clearly wasn't talking about the sky anymore.

"I could watch this for hours," she added with a content sigh, _her_ eyes still roaming the starry sky.

"Me too . . . " _You're staring again, Edward!_ he silently reprimanded himself. Trying to pull himself together, he continued: "You really like it here, don't you?"

Finally realizing just _how close_ they were, Bella reluctantly pulled back. "Here, as in Beaver Creek?"

"Yes."

"I do. It's so quiet here." She sent him a pensive glance. "It's actually kind of weird. It's so different from the bustle of the city, where I lived for most of my life. Maybe that's what I like about it. That it _is_ so different . . . "

There it was again. The melancholy which he'd seen several times earlier that day had reappeared in her chocolate pools, once again making Edward wonder what kind of negative experiences she'd had in Chicago.

"You never get bored? I mean . . . as you said yourself once; it is kind of quiet here. Not much happening."

"Ah . . . but even though it's quiet, there's definitely lots to do. The only limit is your own imagination."

"Hmm . . . I'm afraid I'm not a very imaginative person."

She sent him a challenging glance. "I find that hard to believe, Mr. Architect."

He blushed. "Seriously, what's there to do around here other than skiing?"

"Well apart from downhill skiing, there's of course cross country skiing. You've ever tried that?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

She gestured towards the cars, and they started walking again. "It's a bit more difficult than downhill . . . well, actually it's a completely different experience. You really can't compare the two."

"More _difficult_ than down hill?" Edward looked appalled. "Considering today's events, I'm not so sure that would be such a good idea for me."

Bella had to smile at his dismay, and she stole a glance at his long, muscular legs. "You would do just fine, Edward. You really have to try it some time. I think you would like it."

"Hmm . . . I'm not really sure I can trust you on matters such as this." His lips curled up into a smug smile. Bella ignored the snide comment with a smirk and went on.

"Then there's horseback riding."

"In wintertime?"

"Yes. You just have to dress up properly. It's awesome."

"Hmm . . . well, I guess _that_ wouldn't be so bad."

"You ride?"

"No, not really. Just done it a couple of times. I was surprised though how much I enjoyed it."

"And there's ice climbing . . . and snow kiting . . . I never tried those activities myself though. Yet."

His eyes once again locked with hers causing her mouth to go dry and her mind to go blank. The moment lingered, starting to become awkward. _What were we talking about?_ Bella asked herself.

"Things to do in Beaver Creek . . . ?" he replied with a soft chuckle, breaking the spell. _Damn!_ She must have said that out loud.

"Uh . . . right . . . " A telltale blush — which Edward by the way found immensely attractive —appeared on her flustered cheeks once again. _Could this become any more embarrassing?_ Trying to gather what was left of her scattered dignity, she continued:

"And then there's dog sledding. That's really one of my favourites. I love the effortless feel of being pulled by a powerful pack of dogs, sliding across the snow. Or if you prefer the motorized version, you can rent a snow mobile." Figuring it would be too suggestive, she decided not to mention the romantic sleigh rides.

"Wow. Seems like there _are_ a lot of adventures out here." He was obviously still amused by her distracted state.

"There are. But if you're looking for ordinary night life activities like restaurants and bars and night clubs, you'll be disappointed. There's just one restaurant in Beaver Creek, and that's about it. But if you go to Vail there's much more of a nightlife scene. That's a two hour drive."

"I have a feeling I can find whatever I'm looking for right here . . . " The words hung in the air.

Bella sent him a scrutinizing look, trying to read his face. She was taken back by the double meaning of his statement. _What did he mean? _His intense gaze met hers, and Bella was once again drawn in by his mesmerizing green eyes. How did he do that? Within only a few seconds he could totally disarm a poor girl, trying to break through her defences. _It really wasn't fair!_

"Uhm . . . right . . . " She was desperately searching for some clever reply, but her mind had gone blank, leaving her with nothing. She finally managed to tear away her gaze, breaking their eye lock.

To her relief she found they had stopped in front of a silver Volvo S60R sports car. Bella's eyes widened, realizing this was his rental car.

"This is yours?"

He shrugged. "Well, it's only a rental."

"Hmm . . . some rental car! You have expensive tastes, ."

"Yes, I know. I have a weird obsession with fast cars."

She couldn't suppress a giggle. "Well, in that case I can't wait to see what you'll think of _my _car."

"Oh . . . ?" Edward looked curious as he unlocked the doors, and gallantly opened the the passenger door for Bella. "What kind of car do you have?"

She graciously slipped into the passenger seat and replied with an air of mystery: "You'll just have to wait and see."

tbc. . .

* * *

Chapter end note:

Yeah...I know. Pretty fluffy. I apologize if it was too much.

Please write me a line about your thoughts. I love hearing your opinions on the characters and the plot.

(For instance: How fast do you guys think these two should move on and get 'hot and heavy'? *smirking*)


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